Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread
by unfinishe
Summary: Sequel to COL1: Beginnings. Tanglepath and Silvertail are now warriors of NorthClan, but both face hard choices that will change the Clans forever. Full summary inside. Posted Epilogue. COMPLETE
1. Allegiances and Prologue: Lost and Found

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: The long awaited sequel to book one. Sorry for the wait, and sorry I didn't post the companion story. If I have time when the trilogy's done, I might post it then. For now, don't hate me! Here's the allegiances, complete summary, and prologue. :3**

**Disclaimer: Warriors and all related themes and characters belong to Erin Hunter. No copyright infringement was intended in the production of this story.**

**Summary: Tanglepath and Silvertail are now warriors of NorthClan, and both are plagued by decisions that could change their lives forever. Tanglepath is forced to chose between living his life as a loyal NorthClan warrior and forgiving Wishpaw, the LightningClan apprentice he once loved. At the same time, Silvertail struggles with the secret she hides from Tanglepath, the identity of his mother. Their choices could affect the Clans for generations to come.

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**Allegiances**

**NorthClan**

Leader: Stormstar – Very dark black tom with dark blue eyes that are almost black

Deputy: Dawnfire – Brownish gray tabby she-cat with light green eyes

Temporary Deputy: Stripefur – Gray tom with darker gray stripes

Medicine Cat: Lillypelt – Brown she-cat with light green eyes

Apprentice, Featherpaw

Warriors: Sunstripe – Yellowish tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Rosetail – Light brown tabby she-cat

Duskflame – Dark brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes

Emberheart – Yellowish she-cat with black stripes and green eyes

Moonshadow – Light gray tabby tom with light blue eyes

Shadowleaf – Smoky gray tom with a silvery sheen and topaz eyes

Topazfur – Topaz gold tom with topaz eyes

Twilightsky – Black tom with yellow eyes

Smokefoot – Dark gray tom with bright green eyes

Silvertail – Silver she-cat with bright green eyes

Tanglepath – Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and two scars, one on his back and one on his left front leg

Mistypool – Light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices: Featherpaw – All white she-cat with soft blue eyes

Queens: Dawnfire – Brownish gray tabby she-cat with light green eyes, mother of Stormstar's kits: Ravenkit (Black tom with amber eyes) and Poolkit (Blue-gray she-cat with silvery eyes)

Jewelfoot – Siamese she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Twilightsky's kits

Elders: Lightstripe – Black and white striped tom

Littlefeather – Soft white she-cat with happy blue eyes

Rainshadow – Former leader, black tom with bluish gray paws, tail, and face

**AmberClan**

Leader: Smallstar – Black and white tom with blue eyes and small paws

Deputy: Hawkwing – Jet-black she-cat with sliver stripes and a white muzzle, ice blue eyes

Apprentice, Shadepaw

Medicine Cat: Eaglefur – Dark brown tom with white paws

Apprentice, Speckledpaw

Warriors: Silverdusk – Silver she-cat with white spots and lavender eyes

Apprentice, Leafpaw

Bluerain – Bluish gray tom with gold eyes

Hawkpool – Light blue gray tom with ice blue eyes

Jaywind – Black tom with grayish eyes

Cougarfur – Brown tom with light blue eyes

Apprentice, Lightpaw

Leafmoon – Brown she-cat with blue eyes

Shadefoot – Gray tom with a white chest, amber eyes, and one black foot

Apprentices: Speckledpaw – Gray she-cat with black specks and amber eyes

Leafpaw – Brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Lightpaw – Black she-cat with green eyes

Queens: Mossfur – Brown tabby she-cat with a white muzzle, mother of Smallstar's kits: Sweetkit (Pure white she-cat with orange splotches) and Fishkit (blue-gray tom)

Elders: Frozenfoot – Dark gray tom with light gray paws

Lostfoot – Elderly brown tabby tom, missing one paw

**LightningClan **

Leader: Moonstar – Black she-cat with light blue eyes

Deputy: Foxfur – Gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Wishpaw

Medicine Cat: Swanfeather – Light cream colored she-cat with green eyes

Warriors: Darkfur – Dark black tom with hazel eyes and a scar on his side

Apprentice, Coalpaw

Heatherfur – Brown she-cat with hazel eyes, black paws, and only one ear

Mistheart – Black she-cat with white paws, blue eyes, missing half of her tail

Blackpelt – Black tom with green eyes and scarred legs

Shorttail – Brown short tailed tom with a scarred face

Volefang – Vicious battle scarred gray and black tom with gray eyes

Songfire – Golden and white she-cat with amber eyes

Sunstep – Golden tom with black paws

Apprentices: Wishpaw – White and orange she-cat with green eyes

Coalpaw – Black and gray tom with amber eyes

Queens: Hazelflower – Light brown she-cat with blue eyes and a white tail, expecting Darkfur's kits

Elders: Crystalpool – White she-cat with green eyes and one torn ear

**TreeClan**

Leader: Pebblestar – Beautiful silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Turtlefur – Tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Dreadmist – Gray tom with blue eyes

Warriors: Eveningsong – Black she-cat with white paws and chest

Apprentice, Barkpaw

Sootpool – Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Wingflight – All white she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Feralpaw

Icetalon – White she-cat with green eyes

Moonleaf – Black and white she-cat with green eyes

Sunflash – Golden tom with black paws and tail tip

Leopardclaw – Brownish-gold tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Silverheart – Silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices: Barkpaw – Brown tom with gray paws

Feralpaw – Black she-cat with green eyes

Queens: Bluesky – Blue-gray she-cat with gray eyes, mother of Sunflash's kits: Owlkit (brown tabby tom) and Lambkit (very pale gray she-cat with blue eyes)

Elders: Saltface – Gray she-cat with a white face

**Cats Outside of Clans**

Leaf – Tanglepath's mother, dead. Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Sky – Tanglepath's father, dead. Gray and white tom with sky blue eyes

Splotch – Fat white kittypet with black patches

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**Prologue: Lost and Found**

The small clearing was nearly silent. Moonlight bleached the fur of the cats who were scattered around it.

Sheltered by a small bramble bush, a silver tabby she-cat rested her head on her paws. Her eyes were half-closed, and she was just starting to drift into sleep when a tortoiseshell tom appeared, amber eyes flashing in the moonlight.

"Pebblestar!" he called. The she-cat's eyes opened immediately, and she yawned.

"What's going on, Turtlefur?" she asked drowsily.

"Sorry," Turtlefur murmured, coming closer. "I didn't mean to wake you, but Icetalon's patrol just got back. She said they scented other cats."

Pebblestar's green eyes flashed. "Did she recognize the scent?"

Turtlefur shook his head. "No. It was close to our camp. She said our own scent overpowered it."

Pebblestar leaped to her feet. "Whoever it is, LightningClan or loners, I'll shred them if they even dare to come closer!"

Suddenly, a golden tom ran up, yelling, "Pebblestar! Turtlefur! We've just scented NorthClan!"

Pebblestar's claws unsheathed. "NorthClan!" she spat. "I'll teach them a lesson!"

Running off, Turtlefur and the golden tom behind her, Pebblestar skidded to a stop where several other warriors stood, blocking something from view. Pebblestar shouldered her way through the throng to see three cats with warm, leaf-bare thick pelts.

"NorthClan!" she hissed, circling the three warriors. "I thought the days had past when NorthClan held a grudge against us for driving you out, but I guess I was wrong!"

"Pebblestar, you don't understand." The tom who spoke was pale gray, with black stripes. "We're here to help."

"You're a little late," Pebblestar said dryly. "Besides, what is there you can do for us?"

"We can help you get home," meowed the gray tabby tom. "Let us help you."

"We don't need NorthClan's help," Pebblestar snapped. "If we want to come back, we will come back of our own accord."

"AmberClan and Smallstar agree with us," the warrior pleaded. "Surely together TreeClan, NorthClan, and AmberClan can make LightningClan see sense!"

"LightningClan!" Pebblestar spat. "No Clan knows better than mine of Moonstar's treachery!"

"Moonstar isn't behind this!" The reply came from a tabby she-cat. She stepped forward, green eyes shining, even in the dim moonlight. "It's Foxfur, her deputy. It was Foxfur who led the patrol to drive you out. It was Foxfur who even now leads patrols into your territory to hunt!"

Pebblestar felt fury boil inside her. "LightningClan?" she thundered. "On _our_ territory? How _dare_ they? I'll rip their fur out." Unsheathing her claws, she cut through the stem of a flower that grew nearby. The flower flew, landing at the silver tom's paws.

"Calm down, Pebblestar," Turtlefur whispered.

Pebblestar ignored her deputy. "Very well, NorthClan," she said coolly. "We will return, if it is only to get our revenge on LightningClan." She didn't miss how the three cats exchanged a glance.

"We begin the journey back tomorrow," Pebblestar said firmly. She waved her tail at Turtlefur, and the tortoiseshell tom followed her.

Pebblestar stopped and glanced back at the three cats, who were all standing there, looking out of sorts. The TreeClan leader sighed. "Come on."

Two of the three cats ran after her, but the silver tom hesitated, looking around uncertainly at the TreeClan warriors who stood around him, looking lost and half starved.

The third NorthClan warrior, a black tom, turned. "You coming?" he asked.

The tom hesitated, and then ran his fellow warrior, trying to ignore the probing eyes that rested on him.

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**A/N: Well, there you have it! Sorry it's so short, but I couldn't find any way to make it any longer. Review!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	2. Chapter 1: Of Friends, Old and New

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Chapter one! :D I'll be updating every Monday, to get me on a schedule, lol.  


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**Chapter 1: Of Friends, Old and New**

Nighttime lay over NorthClan territory.

Moonlight fell on two warriors resting next to each other in the snow. One was a silver-furred she-cat, and the other a black tom. All around them, the snow fell undisturbed, leaf-bare finally upon the Clans once more.

The she-cat sighed, and the tom glanced over.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

The she-cat smiled. "Nothing, Shadowleaf. Just bored. You know that there's nothing to do out here."

Shadowleaf smiled back. "Except stare longingly into TreeClan territory, right?"

The she-cat laughed. "Right. Except that." Though her tone was light-hearted, she couldn't help glancing back at the land across their border, worry twisting her stomach.

"Silvertail..."

Silvertail glanced over at Shadowleaf. "What?"

"They'll be fine," he said. "Don't worry."

"But they've been gone for _moons_," Silvertail whispered. "Surely Moonshadow must have found TreeClan by now?"

Three moons before, Stormstar, the NorthClan leader, had announced that NorthClan would be setting out a patrol to bring back TreeClan, the Clan that had been driven out by Foxfur, the LightningClan deputy. Moonshadow, Silvertail's father and one of Stormstar's senior warriors, had been chosen to lead the patrol. With him had gone Rosetail and Twilightsky, two more NorthClan warriors.

But since then, there had been no news. Stormstar had also decided that two NorthClan warriors would be on guard at the border between the two Clans, just to make sure that no cat took advantage of the Clan-less territory so they could bring home some extra prey. Already, NorthClan had chased LightningClan warriors out of TreeClan's territory more than five times. Three of the times, Foxfur herself had been with them.

The thought of Foxfur made Silvertail's mind turn to other things. Back in NorthClan camp, Silvertail's adopted brother, Tanglepath, still lay in the medicine cat den after the LightningClan deputy had severely injured him when LightningClan had invaded NorthClan territory. Despite the fact that he'd had four moons of rest, his shoulder was still stiff, and he wouldn't be allowed to leave on patrols again for another half-moon.

Silvertail was startled out of her thoughts when a noise came from behind them. She and Shadowleaf turned just as a gray-striped tom and a brown tabby she-cat stepped out of the undergrowth.

"Stripefur, Duskflame," Shadowleaf greeted.

"Not sleeping on the job, are you?" Stripefur, the gray tom, teased them.

Silvertail purred. Stripefur had been her mentor when she had been an apprentice, and they shared a close bond. Even now that she was a warrior, she often turned to her old mentor for advice.

"You would be too if you spent all night staring at TreeClan territory," she joked.

Stripefur sighed. "Well, Duskflame and I will be spending the rest of the night doing just that."

"No disturbances?" Duskflame asked.

Silvertail shook her head. "Nothing. Maybe Foxfur's finally learned her lesson."

Stripefur snorted. "I doubt that. She's probably just waiting for us to let our guard down."

"Well there isn't a chance of that!" Shadowleaf declared. "Moonshadow will be back soon with TreeClan, and if there's any problem, Stormstar won't let it get out of hand."

"I hope you're right," Duskflame sighed.

"You two should get back to camp," Stripefur said. "Don't forget you've got a hunting patrol to go out on later."

"Yes, Stripefur," the two younger warriors chorused. Stripefur had taken over for Dawnfire, the deputy, while she was in the nursery with her and Stormstar's kits, who would become apprentices in little more than a moon.

They got to their feet as Duskflame and Stripefur settled in for a long night and headed back to NorthClan camp. For a moment, Silvertail pretended that nothing was wrong; that TreeClan still lived peacefully in their territory, that Foxfur wasn't deputy of a Clan whose leader had lost control of her warriors, and that Tanglepath wasn't in the medicine den, still recovering from an injury not deserved. For that moment, Silvertail was just going for a run with a friend, bathed in the light of the moon.

Finally, they reached the camp wall. A golden she-cat with black stripes yawned as they came up.

"Evening, Emberheart," Shadowleaf greeted her as they came up. "Any trouble?"

"No," Emberheart answered. "It's been so quiet you can hear a mouse's pawsteps."

"That's probably a good thing," Shadowleaf said.

Emberheart nodded, then yawned again. "Lucky for you, you get to go to sleep."

Silvertail chuckled. "The sun should be up soon, and that means the dawn patrol can deal with it."

The other she-cat laughed. "Right."

"See you later," Silvertail said as she followed Shadowleaf into camp.

Inside, Featherpaw, Silvertail's sister, was just poking her head out of the medicine cat den where she slept with her mentor, Lillypelt, the NorthClan medicine cat. Silvertail flicked her tail toward the pure white she-cat in a greeting, then slipped into the warriors' den with Shadowleaf.

She nodded to Topazfur, another warrior, as she and Shadowleaf settled down in their nests, and then, she fell asleep.

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When Silvertail woke up, sunlight was streaming into the warriors' den. As she raised her head to look around, Shadowleaf stirred next to her.

Other than the two of them, the den was empty except for Emberheart, who must have come in at dawn. The light pouring in from the entrance flickered, and Silvertail glanced over to see Stripefur slipping inside.

"Silvertail," he greeted her wearily. He and Duskflame both looked tired.

"Problems?" Silvertail asked.

"LightningClan," Duskflame confirmed as she sank down into her nest. "We caught two of Foxfur's warriors trying to steal prey, but we made sure they knew that NorthClan was watching."

"I think they knew that already," said Shadowleaf, who seemed to be fully awake now. "They just didn't care."

"Foxfur wasn't always this ambitious or power hungry," Stripefur mewed sadly. "I remember when she was an apprentice. Stormstar and I had only been warriors for about a moon or so when I met her. She was clever, and utterly loyal to LightningClan. If she wasn't so desperate for power, she would have made a wonderful leader. Now I'm afraid to think of what might happen if Moonstar dies."

"Then we'll just have to make sure that never happens," Shadowleaf growled. Silvertail nodded.

Stripefur shook his head. "Oh, to be young again," he sighed. "If only it was that easy."

"Get some sleep," Silvertail advised. "LightningClan won't be coming back for a while."

Stripefur nodded. "Don't forget that hunting patrol."

"We won't," Silvertail said. She waited until both warriors were asleep before getting to her paws and heading for the entrance to the den, Shadowleaf at her heels.

Outside, the camp was already bustling with activity. Ravenkit and Poolkit, Stormstar and Dawnfire's kits, were play-fighting outside the nursery. Jewelfoot watched them, her belly just starting to show the tell-tale signs of a pregnant queen. Her mate, Twilightsky, had gone with Moonshadow to bring back TreeClan.

On the other side of the clearing, Dawnfire was waiting for them. It would be her first patrol since she had first gone to the nursery, pregnant with Stormstar's kits.

"Good morning," she mewed as Silvertail and Shadowleaf approached her.

"Morning," Silvertail responded. "Ready to get going?"

"Wait up!"

A voice from behind them stopped Dawnfire from answering. Turning, Silvertail saw a tabby warrior racing towards them. It was Tanglepath, her brother.

"What are you doing out here?" Silvertail asked, blinking in surprise. "Shouldn't you be in the medicine den?"

"Lillypelt told me I could go on a hunting patrol," Tanglepath said excitedly. "I'm finally getting out of camp!"

"That's great!" Silvertail exclaimed. "You can come with us!"

The group turned toward the camp entrance, but was stopped when Stormstar pushed into the camp. Behind him was Smokefoot, Silvertail and Tanglepath's brother, and Sunstripe, Smokefoot's former mentor and Emberheart's father.

"Any problems?" Dawnfire asked Stormstar.

The NorthClan leader shook his head. "Nothing." He glanced over their group. "Heading out for a hunting patrol?"

"Yes," Dawnfire replied.

Stormstar nodded. "Silvertail, Shadowleaf, when you get back, I'd like to speak to you."

Silvertail glanced nervously over at Shadowleaf.

Stormstar must have seen the exchange, because he quickly said, "You're not in trouble. I'd just like to speak with you two about something."

Silvertail dipped her head. "Yes, Stormstar."

"You may go." Stormstar dismissed them with a flick of his tail, and they left the camp.

As Silvertail walked between Tanglepath and Shadowleaf, she couldn't help wondering what it was that Stormstar wanted to speak with them about, but the thoughts were pushed out of her mind. It had been so long since she and Tanglepath had been on patrol together, and she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it.

Foxfur and her warriors might have been threatening the Clan, and Stormstar might have wanted to speak with her and Shadowleaf, but right then, walking between her brother and her best friend, Silvertail was the happiest she'd been in a long time.

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**A/N: Review?**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	3. Chapter 2: A Surprise

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Yay, new chapter! :D I know, you're all trembling with joy. Try to contain your excitement.

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**Chapter 2: A Surprise**

Tanglepath carefully set down one paw after the other, gently placing each one on the ground silently. The small bundle of fur in front of him didn't even seem to notice his approach. It sat on the root of a huge tree deep in NorthClan territory.

He tensed his muscles and leapt. The squirrel didn't even have time to let out a squeak of alarm before he pinned it with one forepaw and nipped it on the back of the neck, quickly killing it.

He sat back, shaking the snow off his shoulders. As he did, he couldn't help but revel in the ease with which he moved now. A moon ago, even the slightest movement of his leg would send pain shooting from his shoulder all the way down to his paw. Now, though, he could run and hunt easily, without any pain at all.

"Nice catch," said a voice.

Tanglepath turned. Behind him sat Shadowleaf. At his paws rested a small vole and a scrappy looking sparrow.

"Thanks," Tanglepath said. He nodded to the prey. "Is that all you caught?"

Shadowleaf glanced down. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's all I could find."

"Don't worry about it," Tanglepath said. "It's leaf-bare. We're bound to catch less than we did before."

Shadowleaf sighed. "I know. But I can't help worrying that it's not enough."

"As long as the kits make it," Tanglepath said, "so we have more warriors for newleaf."

The black warrior nodded. "You're right."

Tanglepath smiled. "I usually am."

Shadowleaf smiled back.

"Where's Silvertail?" Tanglepath asked, peering around his Clanmate to see if his sister was behind him.

"She went to go find Dawnfire," Shadowleaf answered. "She couldn't find much either, and we decided there's no point in scaring off all the prey. We might as well take what we have back to camp."

Tanglepath nodded. "Good idea. I'll just go grab the rest of what I caught."

"I'll come with you."

As he walked with the black warrior, Tanglepath couldn't help but think about how little he knew about his Clanmate. Though he and Silvertail were good friends, Tanglepath had never really gotten to know Shadowleaf.

"So you and Silvertail are pretty close, huh?" Tanglepath said after a while.

Shadowleaf's face turned to a look of dismay. "Is it that obvious?"

Tanglepath chuckled. "I just hear a lot from the elders. They're always coming to Lillypelt with complaints about aching joints or cracked pads, and I get to hear their gossip. And from what I hear, you two are getting pretty close."

Shadowleaf looked down. "I really like her."

Tanglepath smiled. "And she really likes you." Shadowleaf looked up.

"You think so?"

Tanglepath nodded. "She talks about you every time she comes to visit me. She really values your friendship."

"I feel the same way," Shadowleaf said quietly. "But I don't know if friendship is all I want it to be." He unsheathed his claws and dug them into the snowy forest floor. "I want her to make her own decisions about us, but at the same time, I don't want to _wait_."

Tanglepath felt a twinge in his stomach. He could remember being torn over a she-cat. As an apprentice, he'd had a brief relationship with Wishpaw, a LightningClan she-cat. They'd met at Four-place in secret, until Wishpaw had given away their secret to Foxfur.

"Let her know how you feel," Tanglepath said quietly. "I don't think you'll have a problem with how she sees it."

Shadowleaf looked up. "You think so?"

Tanglepath smiled again. "I do. She really likes you, Shadowleaf. Give her a chance to prove it."

Shadowleaf smiled. "Thanks, Tanglepath." He shot him a look. "How do you know all this about relationships? You wouldn't happen to have a she-cat of your own hidden away somewhere, would you?"

Tanglepath laughed weakly. If only he knew. "No. I don't. Sometimes I wish, but..."

Shadowleaf nodded. "Thanks," he repeated. "Really."

"You're welcome," Tanglepath said, smiling. "Really."

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Silvertail pushed through the camp entrance behind Dawnfire, Tanglepath and Shadowleaf following. In her mouth she carried two scrawny mice. Once inside the camp, she headed for the nursery and dropped the mice in front of Jewelfoot.

"Here," she said. "You need to keep up your strength."

Jewelfoot shook her head. "Ravenkit and Poolkit need it more."

"Ravenkit and Poolkit aren't about to have kits of their own," Silvertail reminded the pregnant queen. "You are. If you don't eat, you won't have enough milk when your kits come."

Jewelfoot cast a reluctant glance over at the two kits, who were napping in a corner of the nursery. Silvertail was surprised at how different the two looked. Ravenkit was a tiny copy of Stormstar, all except for his eyes, which were a deep amber instead of Stormstar's dark blue. Poolkit looked like neither of her parents with her blue-gray fur and silvery eyes, but she wasn't as excitable as Ravenkit, more like Dawnfire.

"Eat," Silvertail said, turning back to Jewelfoot. "There's still another hunting patrol out. If there isn't already something for the kits, there will be when the other patrol gets back."

The queen sighed. "All right. Thank you, Silvertail."

Silvertail smiled. "Anytime, Jewelfoot."

When she slipped out of the nursery, Shadowleaf was waiting for her with a small rabbit at his paws.

"Come on," he meowed. "Stormstar told me to get something for us to share, then we're supposed to go eat in his den with him."

Silvertail's eyes widened. Eating with the leader was a high honor that was usually only shared with the deputy and a select few older cats, not young warriors only a few moons out of apprenticeship.

Nevertheless, she followed Shadowleaf over to Stormstar's den. Shadowleaf let out a quiet mew to let the leader know they were there.

"Come in," Stormstar called from inside.

As they slipped into the den, Silvertail couldn't help glancing around curiously. She had never been inside Stormstar's den before. It was at least as big as the warriors' den, but it seemed larger because there was only one nest.

"You wanted to speak with us, Stormstar?" Shadowleaf questioned, dropping the rabbit on ground. He and Silvertail settled themselves around it.

"Yes," Stormstar said. He was silent for a moment, staring at the chaffinch at his feet. When he spoke, his voice was distant, as if he was speaking to himself.

"Now more than ever, NorthClan needs warriors," he murmured. "We face threats on two sides of our territory."

Silvertail exchanged an alarmed glance with Shadowleaf. "AmberClan means to attack us?" she asked worriedly.

"Hm?" Stormstar looked up. "No, not AmberClan. But as long as TreeClan's territory remains uninhabited, Foxfur could easily lead some of her warriors through TreeClan territory in an ambush on NorthClan camp."

"Wouldn't it be easier to come through Four-place, though?" Shadowleaf said.

"Yes, it would," the leader answered. "But Foxfur knows that we're expecting an attack from Four-place. She thinks we won't be expecting her to come through TreeClan territory. Why did you think I posted a guard on our border with TreeClan?"

"I thought it was to keep LightningClan from hunting in TreeClan's territory," Silvertail answered, confused.

"That as well," Stormstar responded. "But also to keep LightningClan from ambushing us. If Foxfur knows we have a guard watching the border, she'll be less likely to attack from there."

Shadowleaf nodded. "That makes sense. But I still don't understand why you called us here."

"Oh, of course." Stormstar's mood seemed to change in an instant. "As I said, NorthClan needs more warriors. Even with Jewelfoot's kits on the way, we've had no apprentices since Silvertail and her brothers were made warriors. It's time for my kits to become apprentices, and I want you two to mentor them."

"Us?!" Shadowleaf and Silvertail exclaimed together, shocked.

"Yes, you."

"Why us?" Silvertail asked, confused. "Certainly there are more experienced warriors who could take on an apprentice. Sunstripe, Emberheart, Topazfur..."

"All very experienced warriors," Stormstar agreed. "But Sunstripe's last apprentice, your brother, Smokefoot, was just made a warrior, and I need him for other things. As for Emberheart and Topazfur, they are both good warriors, but neither has the right attitude to train these two particular apprentices. Maybe one of Jewelfoot's kits will make a better match."

"A-are you sure you want _us_ to train your kits?" Shadowleaf stammered.

"Absolutely," Stormstar confirmed. "I can't think of two warriors I would like to train my kits more."

Silvertail nodded hesitantly. "All right then, Stormstar. We'll do it."

"Good," Stormstar said briskly. "We'll hold the ceremony in two days time, at sundown. Now the two of you should get some rest, you were up all night and hunting all day."

"Yes, Stormstar." They dipped their heads and slipped out of the den.

When they were outside, Silvertail turned to Shadowleaf. "Mentors? Us?"

"I know," Shadowleaf said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's hard to believe."

"Do you think we're ready?" Silvertail asked.

"Stormstar obviously does," Shadowleaf answered. "And he probably spoke to Dawnfire about it as well. Nobody knows those kits better than Dawnfire."

Silvertail nodded, feeling the excitement coursing through her. They were going to be mentors!

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**A/N: Sorry for the wait on getting this chapter up. Silvertail and Tanglepath were busy beating up Foxstar and didn't want to come participate in the story. Lol. Check back Monday for chapter 3!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	4. Chapter 3: A New Apprentice

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Late again. . Sorry. I normally post in my Computers class, but I forgot, and didn't have time when I got home. So here's the new chapter... a day late.

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**Chapter 3: A New Apprentice**

Two days after his first day back as a warrior, Tanglepath returned from the sunhigh patrol with Smokefoot and Emberheart. Slipping inside the camp through the entrance, he was surprised to see that most of the Clan was gathered around the Widestream, as if waiting for something.

"What's going on?" Tanglepath asked, turning to Smokefoot.

"Ravenkit and Poolkit's apprentice ceremony," replied the gray warrior.

"But they're not six moons old yet," Tanglepath protested.

Smokefoot shrugged. "Sunstripe told me that Stormstar says the Clan needs more warriors."

Tanglepath turned back to the crowd of cats. He could see Dawnfire frantically grooming the two kits just outside the nursery. Poolkit sat perfectly still, but Ravenkit tried to wiggle away, letting out loud protests. _'I wouldn't him to be _my_ apprentice,' _Tanglepath thought. Speaking of which...

"I wonder who their mentors will be," he wondered aloud.

"Topazfur's _hoping_ it'll be him," Emberheart put in. "But I doubt that Stormstar's going to give him an apprentice. He's got absolutely no patience."

"Maybe you," Smokefoot suggested.

"Me?" Emberheart shook her head. "Stormstar usually speaks with the mentors, and he hasn't said anything to me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tanglepath caught a flash of black fur jumping onto the island in the middle of the Widestream, and a moment later, the noise of the Clan died down as a cry went over the Clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting!" It was Stormstar, calling from the island.

As Tanglepath took a seat in the crowd of cats, he could see the few cats who hadn't already been outside come out of their dens. Rainshadow, Lightstripe, and Littlefeather, the elders, came over, Lightstripe complaining about something as always. Lillypelt and Featherpaw came out of the medicine den and took a seat at the edge of the crowd. Topazfur pushed his way out of the warriors' den, and Jewelfoot came out of the nursery and went over to sit by Dawnfire.

"Cats of NorthClan," Stormstar said once everyone had seated themselves. "As you all know, NorthClan needs warriors more than ever. But to become warriors, all cats must first be apprentices, and today, my two kits will do just that. Ravenkit, Poolkit."

The two kits, now perfectly groomed, made their way through the crowd of cats to stand in front of their leader and father.

"Poolkit," Stormstar said, beginning the ceremony. "From this day until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Poolpaw." He turned to the crowd of NorthClan cats and said, "Shadowleaf. You will be Poolpaw's mentor. You were mentored by Sunstripe, and I hope you will pass on everything you know to this apprentice."

As the black warrior padded forward to touch noses with his new apprentice, Stormstar turned to his son.

"Ravenkit," he said. "From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Ravenpaw." Once again turning to the Clan, Stormstar continued, "Your mentor will be Silvertail."

Tanglepath's jaw dropped. Silvertail?!

"Silvertail, you have all the qualities of a good warrior, including patience," Stormstar added with a glance at his black-furred son. "I hope you will do everything in your power to teach these qualities to Ravenpaw."

"I will, Stormstar," Silvertail said. Then she took a few steps forward and touched her nose to Ravenpaw's.

"Poolpaw! Ravenpaw! Poolpaw! Ravenpaw!" The Clan took up the chant, and the two new apprentices turned to face the Clan proudly. Behind them, Stormstar leaped off the island and flicked his tail. As if it was a signal, Dawnfire, Sunstripe, Lillypelt, and Stripefur got to their feet and followed Stormstar into his den.

Tanglepath pushed through the crowd, trying to get to Silvertail.

"You two should find nests in the apprentice den and get some sleep," Shadowleaf was saying when he reached them. "Tomorrow we'll take you to see the territory."

The two apprentices shared excited glances before dashing off to their new den.

"Silvertail!" mewed Smokefoot from behind Tanglepath. Turning, Tanglepath was surprised to see not only that his gray-furred brother had followed him, but Featherpaw as well.

The three siblings came up to Silvertail. "Why didn't you tell us you were going to be a mentor?" Tanglepath demanded.

"I didn't think I needed to," Silvertail admitted. "I thought you three would figure it out yourselves."

"Well, we didn't," Smokefoot said. "You should have told us! We never keep secrets!"

Tanglepath hoped that Featherpaw and Smokefoot didn't notice the look that Silvertail shot him. He knew what she meant. He and Silvertail still held the secret about Tanglepath's meetings with Wishpaw, and, later, her betrayal.

"I'm sorry," Silvertail said. "I would have told you, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

Featherpaw sighed. "I guess we should have expected it. You always were full of surprises."

Silvertail purred and gave her sister a lick. "You probably knew anyway. You're always eavesdropping on Lillypelt and her conversations with important warriors."

"Sure," Featherpaw said, rolling her eyes. "_I'm_ the one who eavesdrops on my mentor."

The four siblings shared a quick laugh. Tanglepath found that he missed the days when they had sat around camp, sharing an afternoon meal and laughing at Smokefoot's impersonation of Topazfur. Those had been the simple days, when Tanglepath's relationship with Wishpaw hadn't complicated anything yet, and they had just been four apprentices who shared the tight bond of kin, despite the fact that Tanglepath wasn't actually blood related to them, wasn't even Clanborn!

Now, though, he realized sadly, they were no longer four apprentices, four siblings. They were two warriors, a mentor, and a medicine cat apprentice. Tanglepath rarely spoke to Featherpaw and Smokefoot anymore, and he only got to talk with Silvertail in snatches of conversations.

The other three must have been thinking the same thing, because Silvertail said, "Let's eat together. Just like when we were apprentices."

Tanglepath smiled at his sister as the other two mewed agreement. Together, they settled down to share a plump rabbit, probably the last of the year, until newleaf came again.

* * *

Every now and then, Tanglepath would glance up and see Shadowleaf staring at them sadly. Tanglepath knew he should invite the black warrior to join them, but something kept him from doing so. Maybe he was just reluctant to break the calm peacefulness the four siblings were sharing, or maybe he was just feeling more protective of Silvertail than usual. Either way, he couldn't help turning his back every time.

Tanglepath wasn't the only one who noticed that Shadowleaf was eating alone. Once Smokefoot and Tanglepath had disappeared into the warriors' den for some sleep and Featherpaw had gone to the medicine den, Silvertail went over and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't invite you to eat with us," she said quietly.

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"Liar," Silvertail said. "You can't say that you honestly didn't feel left out at all."

"Okay, maybe a little," he admitted. "I almost thought you forgot about me."

"I could never forget about you, Shadowleaf," Silvertail said quietly. "Sorry."

Shadowleaf shook his head. "It's okay. You don't get to talk to them a lot. You should get some private time with your siblings without any other stupid warrior butting in."

Silvertail purred quietly. "You're no any other stupid warrior, Shadowleaf."

He glanced up. "Neither are you, Silvertail."

She looked down at her paws, her pelt flushing hot with embarrassment. "Shadowleaf..."

His voice turned serious. "Silvertail, I..." He hesitated, then spoke again. "Silvertail, I really like you. A lot."

She looked up to meet his gaze. His topaz gold eyes burned into her bright green. There was no joke in his eyes. He meant what he was saying.

"Oh, Shadowleaf," she whispered. "I... I feel the same way."

He gently licked her fur, and she shivered as he groomed her silver fur into place. She carefully started to do the same for him, rasping her tongue over his thick black fur.

Finally, they finished grooming each other and went into the warriors' den. Silvertail settled into her nest, three down from Tanglepath and Smokefoot, and slept with her silver pelt pressing against his black. She wondered for a moment what they looked like. The nighttime sky and the moon, maybe.

And when she fell asleep, she dreamed of Shadowleaf.

* * *

**A/N: Maybe it's just me, but that seemed short... Oh well. Is it sad that my Warriors OTP is Silvertail/Shadowleaf? . Oh well. Anyway, review, please!**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	5. Chapter 4: Return to the Clans

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Chapter 4! Late!... Again... ^_^;

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**Chapter 4: Return to the Clans**

"Silvertail?"

"Yes, Ravenpaw?"

"Why is TreeClan gone?"

Silvertail froze and blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized that no one had ever explained to the apprentices what had happened to the tree-dwelling Clan.

"Well..." She shot a glance over at Shadowleaf, hoping for some help.

"The LightningClan deputy and a group of her warriors drove them out," Shadowleaf said. "They want TreeClan territory for themselves."

"Who is the LightningClan deputy?" Poolpaw asked.

"Foxfur," Ravenpaw said before Silvertail could answer. His eyes were far away, as if recalling some distant memory. "I met her once, when I was in LightningClan."

Silvertail exchanged a nervous glance with Shadowleaf. She hadn't known that her apprentice remembered anything of the brief moon and a half he'd spent with LightningClan after three of Foxfur's warriors had kitnapped him on the night he and his sister were born. Poolpaw seemed unfazed.

"She came to visit me in the nursery," Ravenpaw said. Then he blinked, and he was back to normal. "Why would she want TreeClan's territory?"

"Every warrior wants what's best for their Clan," Shadowleaf told him. "The more territory a Clan has, the more prey they can bring home, especially in leaf-bare, when a Clan's territory can be almost empty of prey."

Ravenpaw nodded. "That makes sense."

It had been three days since Ravenpaw and Poolpaw had been made apprentices. On the first day, Silvertail and Shadowleaf had taken them to see important spots inside NorthClan territory. The next day they'd done some hunting practice, and today they were finally taking their new apprentices to see the borders.

As they came out of the undergrowth, Silvertail said, "This is the TreeClan border we were telling you about. You can't scent them right now because they've been gone for so long, but once they get back you'll be able to catch their scent from here to Four-place."

"Now what's important to remember about borders?" Shadowleaf asked the apprentices.

"Never cross them," Poolpaw said diligently.

"Right," Silvertail told her. "Crossing a border with another Clan is prohibited by the warrior code."

"But Moonshadow had to cross the border to go get TreeClan," Ravenpaw pointed out.

"Moonshadow was on a mission given to him by Stormstar," Shadowleaf reminded him. "Cats would have died if he hadn't gone, and not just TreeClan warriors. It will take the strength of all the Clans to stand up to Foxfur and her warriors."

"Come on," Silvertail said. "We'll show you Four-place next, and then we can head down the AmberClan border."

Just as they were starting to head in the other direction though, a voice stopped her.

"Silvertail, Shadowleaf, wait!"

All four cats turned, and Silvertail's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Three cats were hurtling towards the TreeClan border.

"Moonshadow!" she gasped, easily recognizing the tom in the lead.

The gray tabby warrior skidded to a stop. "Thank SkyClan I caught up to you!" he panted. "We found them! We found TreeClan!"

"You're back!" Shadowleaf exclaimed.

"Are you him?" Ravenpaw asked, pressing forward. His amber eyes were wide with wonder. "Are you Moonshadow?"

He seemed to notice the two apprentices for the first time. "What are Stormstar's kits doing out here?" he asked.

"We're apprentices now," Ravenpaw said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Are you now?" Moonshadow purred. He looked up and met Silvertail's eyes. "We seem to have missed some things."

"Not too much," Silvertail said warmly, glad to have her father home.

"We need to get back to camp," broke in Rosetail, the light brown tabby she-cat. Next to her, Twilightsky, a black-furred warrior, nodded.

"I need to deliver Pebblestar's message to Stormstar," said another voice. Peering around Twilightsky and Rosetail, Silvertail was surprised to see a fourth cat had followed the NorthClan patrol. The tortoiseshell tom smelled of TreeClan.

"This is Turtlefur of TreeClan," Moonshadow introduced the tom. "He's Pebblestar's deputy. Turtlefur, these are Silvertail and Shadowleaf."

"And I'm Ravenpaw, and this is Poolpaw," butted in the black apprentice. Silvertail shot him a sharp glance and he took a step back, lowering his head.

"It's nice to meet you," Turtlefur said.

"Wait," Shadowleaf interrupted. "You're deputy? What happened to Icefur?"

Turtlefur hung his head. "He was killed in our battle with LightningClan. We didn't even have time to sit vigil for him. When we returned, his body was gone. LightningClan took it."

Shadowleaf hissed, and Silvertail let out a surprised exclamation. "How could they?"

"Foxfur's time as deputy has changed LightningClan," Turtlefur said sadly. "I don't think any cat can claim to understand them."

Silvertail felt a flash of anger. She couldn't help thinking of Wishpaw's betrayal of her brother. Tanglepath had trusted the LightningClan apprentice, and she had betrayed that trust by telling Foxfur about their secret meetings. Tanglepath never would have been injured if she had kept her mouth shut.

"We should get back to camp," Moonshadow said. "Twilightsky, Rosetail, and I all need some rest, and Turtlefur has a message to deliver to Stormstar from his leader."

"Right." Silvertail turned and led the way into the dense undergrowth, heading for the NorthClan camp.

* * *

Tanglepath shivered as a bit of snow landed on his nose. He quickly shook his head to get it off, but the chill didn't leave him. It was cold, and he knew it would only get colder. NorthClan had the coldest territory of any Clan, theirs being the furthest north of all the territories. Already, the hunting patrols were bringing back less and less prey. What little fresh-kill they did bring went straight to the elders and Jewelfoot. Stormstar himself refused to eat unless every other cat in the Clan had already done so.

"I've got four lives left," he said every time Lillypelt or Dawnfire tried to persuade him to eat. "Starvation won't kill me."

Every time Tanglepath heard his leader say it, though, he couldn't help adding _'Yet.'_

He was sharing a small meal of a thin, stringy squirrel with Smokefoot in the middle of the camp. All around them, cats were shivering as snow fell upon the camp. The warriors and elders stayed in their dens as much as possible, trying to avoid the cold. The NorthClan dens had been dug into the ground when Northstar had first led the Clan to their new camp. The dens stayed cool in greenleaf and warm in leaf-bare, especially when there were other cats inside.

A noise at the camp entrance made him look up. Opening his mouth to taste the air, he could detect the scents of at least seven NorthClan cats, and another scent that he knew but couldn't place.

"TreeClan!" gasped Mistypool, Tanglepath's adopted mother.

Suddenly, Silvertail and Shadowleaf pushed through the thorn barrier, their apprentices behind them. Tanglepath tried to peer past the two warriors to see who else was with them. A familiar scent hit his nose, and his eyes widened.

"They're back!" yowled Duskflame. "Moonshadow's back!"

Immediately, Duskflame, Moonshadow's sister, and Mistypool, his mate, darted forward to greet him with loud purrs. Tanglepath and Smokefoot followed. Jewelfoot jumped to her paws and cried, "Twilightsky!" before running forward to see her mate.

"They're back!" other cats yowled happily, crowding around the patrol. "They're back!"

"Get out of my way!" Stormstar pushed through the group. Relief colored his face when he saw that Moonshadow, Rosetail, and Twilightsky had indeed returned.

"Who's that?" shouted a voice. "He reeks of TreeClan!"

"Shut up, Topazfur!" Emberheart snapped.

A tortoiseshell warrior was standing behind the patrol. He held his head high as the NorthClan warriors stared in astonishment, all thinking the same thing: What was a TreeClan cat doing in NorthClan camp?

"My name is Turtlefur," the tortoiseshell warrior introduced himself. "I am TreeClan's new deputy." He dipped his head to Stormstar. "Pebblestar sends her thanks." He met Stormstar's eyes, and Tanglepath was surprised at how dark in color the amber eyes were. "She says that the debt is repaid."

"What debt?" Dawnfire asked in confusion, her gaze flicking back in forth between Stormstar and Turtlefur. "Stormstar, what debt is he talking about?"

If Stormstar heard, he didn't acknowledge it. "Tell Pebblestar that the debt will never be repaid."

"What debt?" Topazfur whispered loudly from the back of the group. "I, for one, am not going to be repaying any debt to _TreeClan._ We just saved their scrawny little hides!"

"Shut _up_, Topazfur!" Emberheart hissed again.

Turtlefur dipped his head again, ignoring the exchange. "I doubt that Pebblestar will see it that way," he said. "But I will pass on the message, nevertheless."

Stormstar nodded. "Then go. Emberheart, lead Turtlefur to the border, then return straight away. Moonshadow, Stripefur, Dawnfire, Sunstripe, and Lillypelt, come to my den. The rest of you can return to what you were doing."

"What was that all about?" Tanglepath whispered to Smokefoot. "What debt is Stormstar talking about?"

"I don't know," Smokefoot said. He narrowed his eyes. "But I know how to find out."

* * *

**A/N: Oh, Smokey. You shouldn't go spying all the time... Must run in the family. Feather, Silver, Smokey... Tangle's dabbled in the terrible art of eavesdropping a couple times, too. Lol. Anyway, leave a review?  
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**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	6. Chapter 5: Foxfur's Announcement

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Gah, lateness! Again. Maybe I should just move Update Day to Tuesday. Puts less stress on me. -_- Anyway, hope you enjoy the longer chapter! (2000 words total, whoopee. *eyeroll* I'm pathetic.)  
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**Chapter 5: Foxfur's Announcement**

"There's a full moon tonight," Shadowleaf observed, glancing up at the sky. "I wonder who Stormstar will pick to come to the Gathering."

Silvertail nodded. It had been a week since Moonshadow had returned with his patrol and the TreeClan warriors. Today was their first day off from training. Every day before, they had spent teaching their new apprentices important parts of warrior life, mostly hunting practice. Today, though, they finally had a day off. They'd assigned Ravenpaw and Poolpaw to clear out the nursery and elders' den. Ravenpaw had complained, but finally agreed when Silvertail patiently explained to him how important a job it was.

Silvertail and Shadowleaf were out hunting. So far, they hadn't managed to gather much, but leaf-bare was definitely settling over the Clans. Snow had fallen again the previous night, and it coated the forest floor despite the dense treetops above them.

"Come on," Silvertail said. "What prey that _is_ left probably has had the good sense to crawl into their dens. We should do the same."

Shadowleaf nodded, and they quickly gathered their catch and headed back to camp.

Inside, Silvertail spotted Poolpaw dragging some old moss out of the elders' den. She frowned when Ravenpaw didn't follow her out.

"Where's Ravenpaw?" she asked, walking over to the blue-furred apprentice.

"You told him to go hunting with you and Shadowleaf," Poolpaw said, blinking.

Silvertail frowned. "What? No, I didn't."

"That's what he told me," Poolpaw said. "He ran out of camp to catch up with you."

No wonder Ravenpaw had given in so easily! He'd obviously made up his mind to sneak off as soon as he could.

Quickly thanking Poolpaw, Silvertail turned and ran back over to Shadowleaf. She quickly explained the situation.

"He's only been an apprentice for a few days!" Shadowleaf said in alarm, his eyes widening. "We'd better find him before he ends up in LightningClan territory with Foxfur waiting for him!"

"What's going on?" Stripefur broke in, overhearing their conversation.

"Ravenpaw's run off," Silvertail told him. "We told him and Poolpaw to clear out the elders' den, but he took off as soon as we had our tails turned."

Stripefur's eyes widened. "Well let's go find him! I'll see if I can pick up his trail." Stripefur was one of the best trackers in NorthClan.

They headed out of camp with Stripefur in the lead. The gray warrior held his nose close to the ground, then tasted the air. Suddenly he darted off in the direction of the AmberClan border.

"This way!" he called over his shoulder.

The three warriors followed a twisting route for a while. Unease grew in Silvertail's stomach as they neared the AmberClan border. Surely after their lesson on not crossing borders on the day Moonshadow had come back Ravenpaw wouldn't go anywhere near AmberClan territory!

Suddenly, yowls broke out ahead of them. Exchanging a nervous glance, Silvertail, Shadowleaf, and Stripefur darted forward.

As they broke out of the trees, Silvertail recognized the AmberClan apprentice Shadepaw battling with a black ball of fur. Ravenpaw!

"Get off of me you giant fish-face!" Ravenpaw snapped.

"Wait, stop!" Silvertail yowled. She ran forward and pulled Shadepaw off of her apprentice.

"What's going on?" demanded a voice. A moment later, a black she-cat with silver stripes darted out of the forest on AmberClan's side. It was Hawkwing, the AmberClan deputy.

"NorthClan warriors!" she hissed, taking in the group. "On AmberClan territory!"

"Wait, Hawkwing!" Stripefur broke in, jumping forward. "Don't attack. It was an accident. One of our young apprentices strayed over the border. Silvertail, Shadowleaf, and I were just trying to find him. It seems that young Shadepaw here got to him first."

"Shade_foot_," snapped the gray-furred AmberClan tom.

"Quiet, Shadefoot," Hawkwing ordered. She turned to Stripefur. "If it were any other cat, Stripefur, I would question your story, but I know that you don't lie. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." She glanced at Silvertail and Ravenpaw through narrowed eyes, then backed towards AmberClan territory. "Come, Shadefoot."

Once the AmberClan warriors were gone, Silvertail turned to Ravenpaw and began checking him for injuries. "Are you all right?" she demanded.

"I'm fine!" Ravenpaw snapped. "And I could have handled that great AmberClan lump if you hadn't butted in!"

Silvertail narrowed her eyes. "Shadefoot is a warrior, and you've only been an apprentice for a week. You have no right to be speaking about him that way. And _no_, you couldn't have handled him! He's at least twice your size!"

"Whatever," Ravenpaw muttered, stepping back over to NorthClan territory. Silvertail followed him.

"And as for running off in the first place," she went on. "That was a very dangerous thing to do! What if you had run into a LightningClan patrol, or a fox or badger?"

"That wouldn't happen," Ravenpaw said dismissively.

"But it could!" Silvertail snapped. "And as punishment, you won't be leaving the camp for the next five days! We'll see how you like staying home while Poolpaw goes to the Gathering!"

Ravenpaw's jaw dropped. "You can't do that! Only Stormstar can decide who goes to the Gathering!"

"I'm sure that if I tell Stormstar his son ran off, he'll agree with me that he doesn't deserve to go to the Gathering," Silvertail growled. "Now come on." She flicked her tail and stormed away from the border, heading toward NorthClan camp.

* * *

Tanglepath ran with his Clanmates, glad to be going to the Gathering. It had been moons since he'd been to his last one, and it would be interesting to see how Foxfur and LightningClan would react to TreeClan's return.

Stormstar had picked Tanglepath, Stripefur, Lillypelt, Featherpaw, Silvertail, Shadowleaf, Poolpaw, Dawnfire, Topazfur, and Jewelfoot to come to the Gathering, leaving Sunstripe in charge while he was gone. Tanglepath had been surprised that Ravenpaw hadn't been chosen until he'd heard Shadowleaf recount the skirmish on the AmberClan border over a meal before they'd left.

Stormstar stopped about twenty fox-lengths away from Four-place. Tanglepath opened his mouth to scent the air. AmberClan was already there, but there was no scent of LightningClan or TreeClan.

Finally, Stormstar flicked his tail, and the NorthClan warriors headed for Four-place.

Tanglepath easily picked out Jaywind and Cougarfur, two AmberClan warriors he knew, and he hurried over to greet them.

"How's the prey running?" Jaywind asked as Tanglepath sat down next to Cougarfur.

"Fine," Tanglepath answered.

Suddenly Cougarfur, who was known for having extremely sensitive hearing, pricked his ears. "Someone's on the way."

"LightningClan," Jaywind confirmed as the Clan scent reached the gathered cats on a light breeze.

"Great," Tanglepath muttered under his breath.

"Is Moonshadow back yet?" Cougarfur asked.

Tanglepath opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off as Foxfur leaped up into the huge tree in the middle of the clearing.

"Foxfur, what are you doing up there?" demanded Eaglefur, the brown-furred AmberClan medicine cat. "Where's Moonstar?"

Foxfur ignored the AmberClan medicine cat. "Let's get started," she snapped at Stormstar and Smallstar, the AmberClan leader. "I don't have all night."

"We have to wait for TreeClan," Stormstar said. His dark eyes stared calmly at Foxfur, awaiting her reaction.

"Then we'll be waiting all leaf-bare, and then some," Foxfur snapped. "TreeClan isn't coming back, you fat NorthClan oaf. Get that through your thick skull."

Yowls of protest rose from the gathered warriors, both NorthClan and AmberClan alike. Stormstar was well liked in all the Clans. The LightningClan warriors didn't react.

"Too late, Foxfur," called a voice. "TreeClan already _is _back."

A silver tabby she-cat padded out of the cover of trees. Tanglepath recognized the scent of TreeClan on her and the warriors that followed her.

"Is that Pebblestar?" Tanglepath whispered to Jaywind. The AmberClan warrior just nodded.

Pebblestar moved calmly through the crowd of cats, then leaped up into the tree. Noticing Foxfur's shocked look, she asked coolly, "Is something wrong, Foxfur?"

Foxfur immediately regained control of her features. "No, Pebblestar. Of course not. Now, may we begin?"

"Yes," Smallstar said, breaking in warily. "AmberClan will go first." Turning to face the Clans, he said, "We have one new warrior. Shadepaw has now earned his warrior name, and he is known as Shadefoot. Although snow has fallen on our territory, we are not short on prey. AmberClan remains strong, and we can fight off invaders from _any_ side of our territory." He shot Stormstar a sharp glance, but didn't add anything.

"Pebblestar," Stormstar said, turning to the TreeClan leader. "You may go next."

The silver TreeClan leader dipped her head. "Thank you Stormstar." She turned to address the Clans. "TreeClan has returned to our home, and we will not be driven out again, by LightningClan or any other cat who may wish to take advantage of us. We will regain our strength quickly, despite the heavy blow that the loss of our former deputy, Icefur, has placed upon us. Turtlefur, however, is doing as much as he can to fill the pawsteps of his predecessor."

She stepped back, and Stormstar began to speak. "NorthClan has two new apprentices. Poolpaw and Ravenpaw, my kits, are being mentored by Shadowleaf and Silvertail. NorthClan, as well, is ready to fight off any invaders. Three of our warriors have returned, and NorthClan is not hindered by the cold weather as the other Clans are." He turned to Foxfur. "LightningClan's turn, I believe."

Foxfur nodded coldly, then spoke loudly so that every cat could hear. "LightningClan has a new leader. Moonstar died not more than four days ago, and SkyClan has accepted me as the new LightningClan leader. My name is now Foxstar."

Astonished mews rose from the Clans. "Dead? Moonstar?" gasped Cougarfur.

"How did she die?" Stripefur demanded.

Foxstar fixed her cool blue gaze on the NorthClan warrior. "She fell," the new leader said coldly. "She was going to visit the Skystone, and she fell off the cliff. We couldn't get to her in time."

"But Moonstar was young!" protested a golden furred TreeClan warrior. "She was accepted as LightningClan leader only a few seasons ago!"

"Maybe she was pushed," Topazfur hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe," Foxstar agreed calmly. Then she leaped down from the tree and left, the LightningClan warriors following her.

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**A/N: Tsk, tsk, Ravenpaw, you should watch where you're going. And, oh noez! Not Moonstar! *gasp!* Lol. Hope you enjoyed!**

**And another thing! I currently have a grand total of ONE reviewer. Sooo, if you're reading this and you love me, you'll review. 'Cuz you love me. :D**

**That be all. :)  
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**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	7. Chapter 6: A Secret Revealed

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: *gasp!* What's this? Crazy Girl updated on time? Oh my god! :O**

**Lol, well, aside from the amazing-ness of the face that I posted on time (:O), this chapter is looooong. Long for me, anyway. 1500 words before I added in the A/N's. Anyway, hope you enjoy! :D  
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**Chapter 6: A Secret Revealed**

As soon as Foxstar and the LightningClan warriors had disappeared into LightningClan territory, the whispers started.

"Maybe?" whispered a black furred TreeClan warrior. "What was that about?"

"Maybe a LightningClan warrior pushed Moonstar," whispered an AmberClan apprentice.

"Maybe it was the LightningClan medicine cat," said Jaywind.

"Swanfeather would _never_ kill another cat!" hissed the TreeClan medicine cat, Dreadmist.

"Maybe it was Foxstar," Topazfur said, his eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed.

"Stop! Stop!" Smallstar was standing up in the tree. "Such accusations are best left unsaid. Moonstar's death is tragic, yes, but it is LightningClan's business, and not ours."

"Unless the new LightningClan leader killed Moonstar," Pebblestar said coolly.

Smallstar turned to the TreeClan leader. "Foxstar may be ambitious, but she is no killer! I have known her since she was an apprentice barely out of the nursery!"

"Foxstar is a danger to all of our Clans!" Pebblestar snapped. Tanglepath saw the glint of unsheathed claws in the moonlight. Smallstar's only answer was to snarl, baring his teeth.

"Stop this at once!" Stormstar thundered. He got to his paws, glaring at the two leaders. "You would dare to fight at a Gathering, with SkyClan watching us?"

"If Foxstar has been allowed to be named leader of LightningClan," Pebblestar said, "then SkyClan has forsaken us. TreeClan has obviously been forgotten."

"That's enough of that talk," Stormstar growled. "SkyClan would never intentionally hurt another Clan. TreeClan has not been forgotten, and neither has NorthClan or AmberClan."

"LightningClan is certainly in the front of their minds!" Topazfur yowled.

Tanglepath couldn't help feeling relieved when Stripefur cuffed the golden furred warrior on the ear and Shadowleaf hissed, "Shut up!"

"SkyClan is still on our side," Stormstar finished. He turned to the Clans and jumped down from the tree. "NorthClan, we're going home."

Tanglepath fell in behind Shadowleaf and Silvertail as the Clan filed out of Four-place. He cast his eyes around, noticing the uneasy looks on the warriors of all three Clans.

Suddenly he froze. Hiding behind a few trees, no more than six fox-lengths away, was a white and ginger she-cat. The faint scent of LightningClan drifted to Tanglepath on a light breeze.

Wishpaw.

For a split second, their eyes met. Green and green. The she-cat's mouth opened slightly, and then she disappeared behind the trees, heading for LightningClan territory.

* * *

That night, Tanglepath was woken by a paw jabbing into his side. "Go away," he moaned, squirming away. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Tanglepath, you great lump, wake _up!_"

He opened one eye and glared at the offending cat standing over him. It was Featherpaw.

"What?" he snapped in a whisper.

"Wake up Smokefoot!" Featherpaw hissed. "I need to tell him something!"

"Do it yourself," Tanglepath grumbled. He turned away and curled into a ball. He had just started to drift off into sleep when a paw jabbed into his side again.

"All right, all right!" he groaned. "I'll wake him up for you!"

He got to his paws and turned to Smokefoot's nest. He jabbed his brother in the side with a paw, and when that didn't work, he growled and leaned down to whisper something in his ear.

"I'm up!" Smokefoot sat up, his eyes wide. He frowned when he saw Tanglepath and Featherpaw standing over him. "What are you two up to?"

"I need to speak with you," Featherpaw said urgently.

"In the middle of the night?" Smokefoot groaned. "Let me go back to sleep!"

"Smokefoot!" Featherpaw snapped. "This is important!"

Smokefoot's eyes widened. "Oh. _Oh._" He stood up. "Come on. I know where we can talk without disturbing anyone."

"What about me?" Tanglepath snapped.

"Oh, yeah, come on." Smokefoot motioned for Tanglepath to follow them.

"What did you say to wake him up?" Featherpaw whispered as they slipped out of the warriors' den.

Tanglepath smirked. "Rosetail's looking for a hunting partner."

* * *

Silvertail was woken in the night by hisses and whispers. She blinked and looked around, but the warriors' den was silent.

Wait.

Silvertail quickly got up and checked Smokefoot's nest. Sure enough, it was empty, but the scent was fresh. If he had been asleep in his nest, the snoring would have been so loud that SkyClan could hear it.

"Fox dung," she hissed under her breath. Tanglepath's nest was empty as well, and Featherpaw's scent hung in the air around both of them. What sort of mischief were her siblings getting into now? And without telling her?

She carefully snuck out of the warriors' den. She knew where the three cats would be. She quickly slipped into the dirtplace tunnel.

"Found you!" she hissed.

The three cats whipped around.

"Fox dung!" Tanglepath hissed.

"Oh, Silvertail, it's just you." Smokefoot looked relieved. "Come on. You might as well hear this as well."

"Hear what?" Silvertail asked suspiciously.

"It's about the 'debt' that Stormstar was talking about when that TreeClan warrior was here," Smokefoot informed her.

"Turtlefur," Tanglepath supplied.

"Yeah, whatever," Smokefoot said, waving his tail dismissively. "Anyway, seeing as Featherpaw is the master of eavesdropping, I got her to listen to a couple conversations in Stormstar's den."

"You eavesdropped on Stormstar?" Silvertail whispered, horrified. "Featherpaw, I can't believe you did that! And Smokefoot, _telling_ her to do it?"

"Relax," Smokefoot snapped. "We deserve to know what Stormstar was talking about."

"Not when he's talking about it in private conversations!" Silvertail hissed.

"Don't get your tail twisted in a knot," Featherpaw said. "The damage is done. I already know, and eventually Stormstar will tell the Clan anyway, so you might as well find out now."

"Right," Smokefoot said, nodding. "So get on with it!"

Featherpaw rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, calm down."

She took a deep breath before going on. "Apparently, Stormstar knows Pebblestar well. _Very_ well. She was a NorthClan warrior once."

"What?" Silvertail gasped.

Featherpaw nodded. "She trained with Stormstar and Stripefur when they were apprentices. Her mentor was their father. Anyway, when they were apprentices, a TreeClan warrior attacked Stormstar when he accidentally crossed the border. The TreeClan warrior was half-insane. All of the Clans knew that he'd pretty much lost his mind, and he got out of camp one day. He was about to kill Stormstar, but Pebblestar saved him. She managed to get the TreeClan warrior off of Stormstar, but he slipped and fell into a pond in TreeClan territory. He drowned. Pebblestar tried to save him, but by the time she got to him, he was already dead. By then, a few TreeClan warriors had showed up. When they asked what happened, Stormstar lied. He told them that he and Pebblestar had been hunting and they'd seen the TreeClan warrior slip and fall into the pond, but that by the time Pebblestar got to him, he was already dead."

"Who was the TreeClan warrior?" Smokefoot asked curiously.

Featherpaw's eyes darkened. "It was Talonwing. He was Icefur's father."

"Icefur?" Tanglepath said in surprise. "But he was the TreeClan deputy!"

The white medicine cat apprentice nodded. "Stormstar said that Pebblestar joined TreeClan, hoping to make up for Talonwing's death, and that she felt terrible about making Icefur a half-orphan. When she became leader, she named Icefur deputy, hoping to make up for it."

"Imagine how she felt when Icefur died," Silvertail whispered. "She did all that, trying to make up for the accidental death of his father, and then he was killed by Foxfur. To go through that... It must have been torture for her." Tanglepath and Smokefoot nodded.

"And here's where it gets complicated," Featherpaw said. "Pebblestar was in love with Stormstar. She still is."

"What?" the three warriors gasped in unison.

"Quiet!" Featherpaw hissed. "Do you want to wake the entire Clan?"

"Sorry," Smokefoot apologized. "How could Pebblestar be in love with Stormstar? She's a TreeClan warrior now!"

"I don't think that even Stormstar realizes it," Featherpaw told them. "But Pebblestar does. I saw the way she looked at him during the Gathering. She kept glancing over at Stormstar throughout the entire thing. I can tell she was upset when he didn't immediately agree with her about Foxstar."

"Poor Pebblestar," Silvertail whispered. "First Talonwing's death, then leaving Stormstar in NorthClan, and then Icefur's death."

Featherpaw's eyes were sympathetic. "I agree. But anyway, the 'debt' that Stormstar was talking about was Pebblestar accidentally causing Talonwing's death by trying to save him."

"No wonder he said that the debt could never be repaid," Smokefoot whispered.

Tanglepath nodded. "She killed for him."

* * *

**A/N: Poor Pebblestar, she's gone through so much. She was in love with Icefur too, though that has absolutely no plot value. Just thought I'd put that in there. She always had to choose between Icefur and Stormstar, and she thought she had chosen Icefur, but she never really gave up Stormstar. :( Poor her.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	8. Chapter 7: A New Name, an Old Face

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: A day late, I know, I know. *eyeroll* Expect Tuesdays, not Mondays.**

**Anyway, I've finished writing this story except for the epilogue! :D Can't wait until you guys can see what's in store for Tanglepath and Silvertail. :)  
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**Chapter 7: A New Name, An Old Face**

Tanglepath woke up late the next day. After Featherpaw had told them about Stormstar and Pebblestar, the four siblings had stayed up late into the night, discussing everything from how it must have felt for Pebblestar to see Stormstar's daughter at the Gathering, to how Foxstar being LightningClan's new leader must have affected her.

Guilt seared through him when he realized how late in the day it was. Even Smokefoot and Silvertail, who'd been up just as late as he had, were already gone. Smokefoot's scent was stale in his nest.

He left the warriors' den and went out into the main clearing. The Clan was already a bustle of activity. Shadowleaf was leaving the camp with Poolpaw, and Ravenpaw was sullenly bringing new moss for Lillypelt and Featherpaw's nests. At the camp entrance, Moonshadow was returning with the dawn patrol, Duskflame and Mistypool. Dawnfire was organizing patrols, and Stripefur was rounding up a few warriors for a hunting patrol.

Hoping to make up for waking up so late, Tanglepath hurried over to the gray striped warrior.

"I'll go with you," Tanglepath volunteered.

"It's about time you woke up," Topazfur sneered.

Stripefur shot the golden warrior a sharp look, then turned back to Tanglepath. "Late night?" he asked slyly.

Tanglepath stiffened. Did he know?

"I'm just kidding," Stripefur teased. "Calm down. Of course you can come. Topazfur's coming with us."

Tanglepath held back a groan. The golden furred warrior had always been a thorn in his side.

Stripefur snickered while Topazfur glared, and then led the way to the camp entrance.

About an hour later, Tanglepath had found little luck. Stripefur had sent him to hunt where NorthClan territory was the narrowest: by Four-place, in between AmberClan and TreeClan territory.

As Tanglepath added a squirrel to his sad looking pile of prey, a whisper came from behind him.

"Tanglepath!"

He froze and turned around. He couldn't see anyone, and he was upwind of whomever it was.

"Tanglepath, over here!"

He turned toward the sound. Two green eyes were peering out of a small bush.

"Wishpaw," he hissed.

The ginger and white she-cat slipped out. "Tanglepath, we need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about," Tanglepath growled. "Now get off my territory before I _make_ you get off."

"Tanglepath," Wishpaw begged. "Please, listen to me. Meet me at Four-place tomorrow night."

"Not a chance," Tanglepath snapped. "The last time I tried that, I ended up in the medicine cat den for three moons."

"Please!" Wishpaw's eyes and voice were desperate. "Tanglepath, that was never meant to happen! Foxstar made me!"

"Just like she _made_ her warriors drive TreeClan out," Tanglepath retorted. "Now get off my territory!"

"I'll still be waiting for you," Wishpaw said. "Even if you don't come."

"Then you'll be waiting for a long time," Tanglepath snapped. "Now leave!"

"Fine." Wishpaw started to back away, towards Four-place. "I have to get back to camp anyway," she said. "But please, just give me a chance. I'll be at Four-place, waiting. Tomorrow night, don't forget."

Tanglepath unsheathed his claws and hissed. "I won't," he promised. "That way I'll remember not to come."

He leaped to chase her off just as she ran towards Four-place. For a moment, as he watched her retreating form, he couldn't help remembering the hurt in her eyes when he had rejected her apology the night she had betrayed him.

'_Who says she betrayed you?' _a voice whispered in the back of his mind. _'Who says she isn't telling the truth?'_

Tanglepath had no answer to that.

Suddenly, Stripefur appeared. "Tanglepath!" he said. "Who was that?"

"Some LightningClan apprentice," Tanglepath reported. "I gave her a chance to leave, and she didn't take it."

Stripefur nodded. "Well good job."

"Where's Topazfur?" Tanglepath asked.

"Heading back to camp," Stripefur told him. "He got a thorn in his pad. I told him to have Dawnfire look at it, since Lillypelt and Featherpaw are at Skystone. She knows a bit about herbs."

"Already?" Tanglepath blinked in surprise. It couldn't be the new moon already!

"Lillypelt said it's time for Featherpaw to get her full medicine cat name," Stripefur answered.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Tanglepath asked, hurt.

"She only just found out yesterday," Stripefur said.

"She still – " Tanglepath broke off. He'd been about to say that she still could have told them last night, but that would give away the conversation that the siblings had shared while the rest of the Clan slept.

"She still could have told us today," he finished lamely.

"She and Lillypelt left before you woke up," Stripefur told him. He looked thoughtful. "But I think she told Smokefoot and Silvertail."

Oh, great. Another reason why he should have woken up earlier.

* * *

Silvertail returned from the sunhigh patrol late in the afternoon. Shadowleaf and Poolpaw were already back, finished with the battle training they'd done that day. Silvertail spotted Ravenpaw leaving the nursery.

"Ravenpaw!" she called. The black apprentice looked up, then reluctantly came over.

"What?" he asked sullenly.

"You could show a little bit more respect," Silvertail snapped. "What were you doing in the nursery?"

"I replaced the elders' bedding, and checked them for ticks like you said," Ravenpaw told her. "Then I brought them some fresh-kill after the hunting patrols came back, and I figured I might as well do the nursery as well. I brought Jewelfoot some fresh-kill after I replaced her bedding."

Silvertail blinked. As an apprentice, she would have never done that much. "Thank you, Ravenpaw," she said. "You did much more than expected of you."

Ravenpaw just shrugged.

Silvertail was surprised at her apprentice's compassion. Not many cats would have done everything that he had. Most would have stopped after replacing the elder's bedding and checking them for ticks, but to go so far as to get them fresh-kill and take care of Jewelfoot...

Immediately, guilt rushed through Silvertail. The accident had been nothing more than just that: an accident. Ravenpaw was still young, and he'd made a mistake.

"Ravenpaw, I'm sorry," she apologized

Ravenpaw looked confused. "About what?"

"You made a mistake, and I shouldn't have been so hard on you for it," Silvertail said. "How about I take you hunting tomorrow to make up for it?"

"But you said I have to stay in camp tomorrow, too!" Ravenpaw exclaimed in disbelief.

Silvertail purred. "Forget about that. I'll take you hunting. We'll have to go a little farther north though, so we can get some more prey than we have been catching."

Ravenpaw's eyes widened in excitement. "That sounds great!"

"Good," Silvertail said. "We'll leave tomorrow morning. I'll come get you."

"Thank you Silvertail!" Ravenpaw exclaimed. Then he dashed off to the apprentices' den. Silvertail watched him go with amusement.

"I see you two have finally made up," purred a voice from behind her. Silvertail turned to see Shadowleaf come up to her.

"He's only an apprentice," Silvertail said. "I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

"No," Shadowleaf agreed. "You shouldn't. But it's only your first time as a mentor. You're bound to make mistakes. It's my first time too, remember."

"You're so good at it though," Silvertail said. "No one would know that it's only your first apprentice."

Shadowleaf purred. "I don't know about that, but thanks anyway." He licked her ear. "Now come on. Let's get some sleep."

Silvertail nodded and followed him into the warriors' den, settling down next to him in her nest. She smiled as sleep started to take over her. If it weren't for Foxstar, Clan life would have been perfect right then. She had an apprentice, a family, and a best friend she would never be able to be without.

If it weren't for Foxstar.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, it's short. Just be glad it's been spell-checked. ;D Review?  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	9. Chapter 8: A Meeting in Secret

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Gah, lateness. XP Just ignore it the continued lateness of this story, even if I mention it in every A/N...**

**Hey! You! Yeah, you that's reading this story. I _know_ that you're reading this, so when you get down to the bottom of this chapter, REVIEW! It's not that big a deal. I don't care if you just say "that was good" or if you give me a long spiel about how much you hated the chapter or if you point out your favorite parts. It'll take you all of, what? Five minutes? I know that there are people reading this story, and I'm pretty sure that whether you hate or love the story, you won't have too much trouble reviewing it.**

**Thanks. On with the chapter.  
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**Chapter 8: A Meeting In Secret**

Tanglepath shifted uncomfortably in his nest, unable to sleep. All he could think about was Wishpaw's offer to meet her at Four-place.

He tried to distract himself with the news of Featherpaw's new name. She was now known as Featherstorm. Tanglepath was just as happy for her as Silvertail and Smokefoot were, but he couldn't help feeling detached from the rest of the Clan. Wishpaw's offer was too much of a distraction.

He shifted again, accidently poking his paw into Smokefoot's side. The gray warrior made a small noise in his sleep and turned away, muttering to himself. The warriors' den was silent except for the breathing of the sleeping cats. Not far away, Tanglepath could just make out the pale outlines of Silvertail and Shadowleaf sleeping side by side.

Tonight was the night he should be meeting Wishpaw.

_Not _should_,_ Tanglepath corrected himself. _Could. _Could_ be meeting Wishpaw._

But he wouldn't be. He'd convinced himself that he wasn't going to go. Whatever Wishpaw might have planned, he wasn't going to fall into another one of her traps. Even if she wasn't waiting for him to fall into her carefully planned ambush, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that he wanted to meet her.

Yes, Tanglepath still loved her, despite everything she'd done to him, despite the pain she'd caused him, both emotional and physical.

He glanced around the warriors' den again. Maybe a peek outside wouldn't hurt.

He carefully got to his paws and slipped out the entrance to the warriors' den. Outside, the camp was painted silver in the moonlight. It was eerily quiet. The Widestream had frozen over, so there was no longer a murmur that came from the water in it.

Tanglepath stretched his muscles and started to head for the camp entrance, but stopped. Topazfur was on guard duty tonight. The golden warrior had never liked Tanglepath, and he certainly would have no problem with stopping Tanglepath from leaving the camp for whatever reason.

Maybe slipping out the back way, through the hole behind the elders' den, would work better.

As he passed the nursery, Tanglepath couldn't resist a glance inside. Jewelfoot was sleeping peacefully. Littlefeather, who had once been a well respected queen, had moved into the nursery temporarily to keep her company and to provide moral support. The long haired elder had given birth to many litters, and was fast asleep next to Jewelfoot.

Tanglepath smiled wistfully at the innocence of the two she-cats sleeping together, and turned away. It was hard to remember a time when he had been able to sleep peacefully like that. Now his dreams were disturbed by images of fighting, writhing cats, and Foxstar, standing over Tanglepath with his blood dripping from her muzzle as his life slowly drained away.

But those weren't the worst ones. The worst ones were the ones where Wishpaw stood next to Foxstar, her white and ginger pelt stained completely red with blood that would never come out. In those dreams, he never thought of her as Wishpaw. In those dreams, she was someone else than the she-cat who he had met with as an apprentice. In those dreams, she was truly Foxstar's apprentice. Bloodpaw was what he called her.

He shuddered and tried to drive the images from his mind. He turned toward the elders' den and finally slipped out of the camp. The hole was smaller than he remembered it, and he had a harder time getting through than he expected. He shook himself once he was outside, and then he headed away.

After a while, he got lost in his thoughts, and when he came back to himself, he realized that his paws were carrying him towards Four-place. Furious with himself, he started to turn the other way, but stopped. He could at least see if Wishpaw really was planning an ambush. If she was, he could go back to camp and gather some warriors to fight them.

He turned his paws back to the path he'd been following. It wasn't long before the scent of LightningClan reached his nose. Not much later, he could recognize a much more familiar scent. Wishpaw.

Careful to make sure he stayed downwind, Tanglepath slipped through the undergrowth and hid in a bush. He peered out between the leaves. He could only make out one cat. She was staring up at the sky, her eyes distant. The only fresh scent was Wishpaw. He pricked his ears, but he couldn't hear any other cats either.

He wasn't sure what possessed him to take that first step, but suddenly he was standing in front of the bush he'd been hiding in, his tabby pelt bathed silver in the moonlight.

Wishpaw must have heard the leaves rustle, because her gaze snapped down and her eyes fell on Tanglepath.

"You came," she whispered.

_Mousebrain! _Tanglepath cursed in his head. _Why in the name of SkyClan did you ever think to come here?_

"Coalfur didn't believe you'd come," she said quietly.

"Coalfur?" Tanglepath asked brusquely. The only cat he knew with _coal_ in their name was Coalpaw, Wishpaw's brother.

"Yes," Wishpaw said. "We're warriors now. Foxstar gave us our names today."

"Then shouldn't you be standing vigil?" Tanglepath demanded. "Or has LightningClan completely abandoned the ways that SkyClan taught the Clans?"

Wishpaw, or whatever her name was now, looked down. "Foxstar said the vigil wasn't important, so I left."

Tanglepath didn't answer.

Wishpaw looked up again. "Aren't you going to ask what my name is?"

Tanglepath just stood there. He didn't bother asking.

"It's Wishsong," she said quietly. "My mother asked Foxstar for that name. She said she wanted LightningClan to have hope. Foxstar said we didn't need it, but that the name was fine."

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Tanglepath demanded. "So we can share tongues?"

"No," Wishsong said. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Tanglepath."

There was such weariness and pain in Wishsong's voice that Tanglepath froze.

"We need to talk."

Tanglepath hesitated, and then nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you," Wishsong said, relief evident in her voice. "Tanglepath, even if you don't believe me, you have to know the truth about what happened that night." Tanglepath didn't have to ask to know what night Wishsong was talking about.

"Okay," he said. "So tell me."

"It was Volefang," Wishsong said. "He followed me here one night when I was meeting with you. He told Foxstar that we were meeting, and she had him follow me a few more times. He found out that we were going to meet that night, and when he told Foxstar, she got together a few warriors and..." She swallowed hard. "She made Darkfur and Crystaltail force me to come. They dragged me all the way there. But when you weren't at Four-place, Foxstar got angry. She told me I would never be a warrior, until Volefang suggested we go into NorthClan territory. Then we found you and..." She trailed off. "You know the rest."

Tanglepath just stared. The night he had been attacked, Tanglepath had known that Wishsong would have done anything to regain his trust. She would have been desperate. Now, though, she had all the time in the world, and Tanglepath could see the honesty in her eyes.

He'd been wrong. Wishsong was telling the truth. She'd _never_ lied to him.

"Wishsong..." he whispered.

He took a few steps forward and sat down next to her, gently licking her shoulder. "Wishsong, I'm sorry. I was wrong."

"I know," Wishsong said quietly.

Tanglepath couldn't help an amused purr. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Can you forgive me?"

Wishsong looked up at him, her eyes afraid. "Can you forgive _me?_"

* * *

Silvertail was running. She didn't know what it was, but a sense of urgency filled her. She had to get there... Had to get there...

Suddenly, she stopped. Tanglepath sat in front of her. He was on top of a fence, facing away from her.

"Tanglepath?" she mewed hesitantly.

Tanglepath turned, and Silvertail was surprised to see that it wasn't Tanglepath at all. It was Leaf, Tanglepath's mother.

'_I must be dreaming,'_ she realized. Leaf's mother had been killed by Clan cats when Tanglepath had been a kit. Tanglepath's father, Sky, and his brother, Frost, had been killed as well.

"Hello Silvertail," Leaf said quietly. There was pain in the she-cat's voice.

"Leaf?" Silvertail walked toward the fence the she-cat was sitting on. "What's wrong?"

"Why haven't you told him, Silvertail?" Leaf asked. "Why doesn't he know?"

Silvertail looked down. Moons ago, the night after Tanglepath had been ambushed by Foxstar, Leaf had come to Silvertail in a dream and made her promise to tell Tanglepath about her. Silvertail wasn't sure why she hadn't told him.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Leaf sighed, and Silvertail glanced up.

"Come sit with me," Leaf said. Silvertail nodded and jumped up onto the fence. She was startled to see Twoleg nests stretching as far as she could see.

"Where are we?" she asked in surprise.

"Twolegplace," Leaf told her. "I lived here once, with Sky. Some Twolegs found us in the woods and took us in. I'd just found out I was going to have kits, so I stayed until they were born." Silvertail glanced over at the she-cat in surprise. Tanglepath's mother had been a kittypet?

"Yes," Leaf said, as if answering Silvertail's thoughts. "I was a kittypet, if only for a short while. I suppose every cat who doesn't have housefolk of their own thinks about it, particularly in leaf bare, when the cold gets to even the strongest Clan cat and prey is as scarce as flying hedgehogs."

Silvertail couldn't help smiling at the thought. "Leaf, why did you bring me here?" she asked. She was certain that Leaf was the one who'd put the urgency in her, to bring her there.

"I brought you here, Silvertail," Leaf said, "because I wanted to show you this place. Maybe now isn't the right time to tell Wander after all. If you waited, you could find out more about Sky and myself, to better understand our choices."

Leaf turned to face her. "Silvertail, over these fences, you will find a chubby black and white tom who goes by the name of Splotch. He knew Sky and I better than any other cat. Maybe he will be able to answer your questions."

"What questions?" Silvertail asked, frowning.

"They'll come to you," Leaf said. She smiled, and then turned and jumped down from the fence, landing on the forest side. And then she was gone.

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**A/N: Tsk, tsk. Silvertail's keeping secrets, and Tanglepath's meeting with Wishpaw/song again. *shakes head***

**So go review! Now! It's not that hard!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	10. Chapter 9: A Discovery

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Gah, lateness! This time I have an excuse. wouldn't let me upload, but I got the problem fixed. :D Yay!**

**Anyway, unfortunately, you guys don't even get a long chapter to make up for it! :O But oh well, at least you have a chapter, right? Lol. So, hope you enjoy!  
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**Chapter 9: A Discovery**

Silvertail stretched her muscles, shaking out her thick silver coat. It was a beautiful day for hunting. Despite the chill in the air and the snow on the ground, the sun hung high in the sky and had put all the NorthClan cats in good spirits. Hopefully the sun's warmth would entice prey out of their holes in search of food.

Silvertail trotted over to Shadowleaf, standing next to him as they waited for Poolpaw and Ravenpaw. Glancing around the camp, Silvertail saw Twilightsky come out of the nursery with Jewelfoot close behind. Her belly was round and plump with the kits who would soon be born.

"Won't be long now," said Featherstorm from nearby, where she was picking a small starling out of the fresh-kill pile. "Soon there'll be more kits."

"And more warriors," Shadowleaf added.

"We need more of both," Silvertail said.

"We'll have them," Featherstorm said. "Rosetail came to see Lillypelt and I last night. She thought she might be expecting kits, and she was right."

"Rosetail!" Silvertail exclaimed. The tabby she-cat didn't seem like the type to get stuck in the nursery. "Who's the father?"

"From what I understand, it's Topazfur."

"Topazfur?" Silvertail and Shadowleaf exclaimed at the same time.

Purring in amusement, Featherstorm nodded. "I suppose he has something other than a fox for a heart?"

Silvertail laughed. "I guess so."

Ravenpaw and Poolpaw came up then, excitement in their eyes.

"We're going hunting today?" Ravenpaw said excitedly. "Where?"

Silvertail purred in amusement. "We could head over toward Twolegplace, but I doubt you two will want to go anywhere near there."

"And miss the chance to scare off some kittypets?" Ravenpaw exclaimed. "Yeah right!

Shadowleaf laughed. "Come on, let's get going before he explodes with excitement."

The four set off toward the camp entrance. Silvertail flicked her tail toward Rosetail and said, "Congratulations" as they passed her. The tabby she-cat's ears flushed bright red and she murmured her thanks.

Shadowleaf took the lead, being the senior warrior of the group. Silvertail fell in next to him as they hurried towards Twolegplace. She shivered as a cold wind managed to sweep through the dense undergrowth and ruffle her fur, and pricked up her ears to listen to the apprentices' conversation.

"I can't wait 'till there's more kits!" Poolpaw exclaimed. "I'm sure they'll be so cute! Jewelfoot even let me suggest a name if any of them look like Twilightsky!"

"What did you suggest?" Ravenpaw asked curiously.

"Blackkit," Poolpaw said proudly.

Ravenpaw scoffed. "That's a boring name. How about Super-awesomekit?"

"That's a stupid name!" Poolpaw snapped. "This kit will be living with it's name forever! You can't just name it anything!"

"Exactly!" Ravenpaw said. "It'll be Super-awesomekit, then Super-awesomepaw, and then it'll be Super-awesomeheart!"

Shadowleaf purred in amusement. "Why don't you suggest that to Twilightsky or Jewelfoot then, Ravenpaw?"

"I..." Ravenpaw's ears tinged pink.

Silvertail shook her head. "It's up to Twilightsky and Jewelfoot to name them. And I'm sure none of them will be named Super-awesomekit."

As they continued on towards Twolegplace, Ravenpaw muttered, "I thought it was a _good_ name."

Shadowleaf and Silvertail exchanged a glance and chuckled.

Finally, they reached Twolegplace. Shadowleaf paused and looked around. "How about we split up?" he suggested. "We'll catch more prey than just sitting around waiting for the prey to come to us."

Silvertail nodded. "Okay. Ravenpaw, Poolpaw, the two of you stick together, and keep an eye out for any kittypets."

"Yes, Silvertail," the two apprentices chorused, heading off into the woods.

"You want to stick together or split up?" Shadowleaf asked Silvertail once the two apprentices were gone.

"Split up," Silvertail said reluctantly. She'd been wanting to hunt with Shadowleaf for a while, but there was little enough prey as there was. Hunting together might scare off the rest of it.

Shadowleaf nodded and headed away, padding alongside the Twoleg fences.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"You a Clan cat?"

Silvertail whipped around, surprised. There was a chubby white tom with black patches standing on the Twoleg fence. A small blue ring encircled his neck. Kittypet!

Silvertail hissed and bared her teeth, unsheathing her claws.

"Guess that answers that question," the kittypet said, jumping down from the fence. "No reason to fight with me, Clan kitty. I'm no threat." He paused. "I used to know a cat who was gonna give up her kits to be Clan cats. Said they would be safer."

"You had better get off my territory, kittypet, or I'll shred you!" Silvertail snarled.

"Real pretty thing," the kittypet went on as if Silvertail hadn't said anything at all. "Tabby she-cat, with the prettiest green eyes and the softest brown fur, as if she hadn't ever lost her kitten fur."

Silvertail's eyes widened. That sounded just like Leaf!

"What was her name?" Silvertail demanded.

"Hm?" The kittypet seemed to realize that Silvertail was there again. "Oh, my name? I'm Splotch. You?"

"No, not _your_ name!" Silvertail snapped. "The she-cat! The one who was going to give her kits up to be in a Clan!"

"Oh, her! Yes, her name was Leaf," Splotch said. "She and her mate, Sky, lived next door for a while."

Leaf had been a _kittypet?_ Silvertail blinked in surprise. "Then you knew Tanglepath!"

Splotch frowned. "Who?"

"I mean Frost and Wander," Silvertail corrected herself quickly. "Leaf's kits."

"Oh yes," Splotch murmured. "Frost and Wander. Adorable little things. Wonder where they are now..."

Silvertail felt her heart ache a little, wishing she could tell this poor, sad, lonely kittypet that, although Frost had died, Wander was living in NorthClan under a new name, one that had been given to him by his adopted parents. Tanglepath.

Splotch sighed. "Guess there's no helping it. Do you know Leaf, then? Is she okay?"

"I..." Silvertail hesitated, wondering if she should tell him the truth. "She's dead, Splotch. I'm sorry."

Splotch's eyes widened, and he let out a pained yowl.

* * *

**A/N: More about Splotch in the next chapter, and how he knew Leaf, Sky, Frost, and Wander. Stay tuned!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	11. Chapter 10: Leaf's Best Friend

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Wow, it's actually on time! :O Well, happy belated Father's Day! I had fun last night with family, and hope you enjoy the chapter!  


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**Chapter 10: Leaf's Best Friend**

Silvertail winced at Splotch's yowl.

"Quiet!" she hissed. "My Clanmates will be running like their tails are on fire if they hear a cat scream like that!"

"Sorry!" Splotch said hurriedly. "Look, I don't want to get you in trouble, so go ahead and chase me back over the fence."

Silvertail nodded and let out a yowl, leaping at the kittypet. Splotch looked surprised that Silvertail's attack had come so quickly, but he turned and dashed back over the fence just as Shadowleaf came barreling out of the undergrowth.

"What happened?" he demanded of Silvertail.

Silvertail turned back, panting. "Just a kittypet on our territory. I chased him back over though."

Shadowleaf nodded. "Good. We don't need kittypets on our territory. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Silvertail said. "Go back to hunting. We can meet back here in a while." Shadowleaf nodded and left again.

Splotch's head poked up over the fence. "How about we meet later? Tomorrow, maybe?" he suggested.

Silvertail hesitated, and then nodded. "Okay." She turned to bound off, but Splotch called her back.

"Wait!" he said. "What's your name?"

"Silvertail," she said hurriedly. "Now get out of here!"

The next day, Silvertail assigned Ravenpaw the task of getting a nest ready for Rosetail, who was further along than Featherstorm and Lillypelt had thought at first and would be moving into the nursery the following day.

"Where are you going?" Silvertail froze at the sound of Stripefur's voice. He and Stormstar stood side by side. She had never realized how much alike they looked. Though the brothers' pelt colors were night and day, they had the same shape of their faces and bodies.

"I..." Silvertail couldn't tell them the truth, that she had been sneaking out to meet Splotch by Twolegplace, but she didn't want to lie to either of them.

"You're too hard on the young warriors, Stripefur," Stormstar said, flicking his tail at his brother's shoulder. "She's just going for a walk."

Silvertail nodded. "I thought I could get some extra prey as well."

Stripefur flicked his tail. "Go ahead, then, Silvertail. And you better come back with the fattest mouse in the forest! I don't want our warriors slacking off!" Though his words were harsh, his eyes were playful.

"Yes, Stripefur," Silvertail purred. She dipped her head to Stormstar, and then turned and hurried out of camp.

She headed straight for Twolegplace, and stopped when she reached Splotch's fence. She hesitated, unsure of what to do now.

But then Splotch's plump black and white face appeared, as did the rest of him. He sat on the top of the fence. "Silvertail!" he greeted.

"Hi Splotch," Silvertail said warily. "Why did you want me to come?"

"We need to talk," Splotch said. "About Leaf and Sky, and their kits. But not here. Your Clanmates could find us."

"Then where?" Silvertail asked.

"Over the fence," Splotch answered. "In my yard."

Silvertail backed away. "I can't. The Twolegs!"

"They'll never know you're here," Splotch promised. "We'll hide in the bushes just inside. Neither your Clanmates, nor my housefolk will find us. I promise."

Silvertail hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She glanced back at the forest. What would her Clanmates think if they caught her?

But she shook it off. She had to find out more about Tanglepath's parents!

"Okay," she said finally.

Splotch's face lit up. "Great. Come on." He jumped back down to the other side of the fence, and Silvertail followed him.

They quickly settled down, hidden in the bush. Silvertail swept her tail around her paws as Splotch got comfortable.

"So," she said once he was in place.

"So," he echoed.

"You knew Leaf," Silvertail prompted.

"Yes, I did," Splotch said, a touch of pain in his voice. "As well as her mate, Sky. I... I can't believe they're dead."

"I'm sorry," Silvertail murmured.

"It's not your fault," Splotch said, turning his head away. "When they left, I knew... I knew that they might not last long, especially with the kits."

"They lived here?" Silvertail asked.

The kittypet nodded. "Yes. For a while."

"Tell me the story," Silvertail said eagerly. "Tell me everything."

* * *

_Splotch watched as the tom dashed for the fence yet again. The tom's housefolk yelled something, and ran after the tom, scooping him up and putting him back inside. The she-cat who had come with the tom shook her head._

"_He just doesn't get it," she murmured._

"_I guess not," Splotch said from his place on the fence._

_The she-cat started and turned around. She leaped to her feet, hissing and baring her teeth._

"_Relax." Splotch jumped down from the fence. "My name's Splotch. I live next door. What's your name?"_

_The she-cat relaxed, but kept a wary look. "I'm Leaf."_

_Splotch laughed. "That's a strange name. Is that the name the housefolk gave you?"_

"_Housefolk?" Leaf echoed. "Oh, you mean the Twolegs."_

"_Yeah, I guess," Splotch said. "You're not from around here, are you?"_

"_No," Leaf said. "Sky and I are from the forest."_

_Splotch's eyes widened. "The forest? Isn't that dangerous?"_

"_No, not if you know what you're doing," Leaf said. "The forest is a wonderful place... But right now, it's safer for us here."_

"_Why's that?"_

"_I'm going to have kits," Leaf quietly said, looking down at her paws. "There are too many dangers in the forest."_

"_Like what?" Splotch sat down, staring curiously at the newcomer._

"_Clan cats, rogues, even other loners," Leaf told him. "Badgers, foxes–."_

"_Clan cats? Rogues? Loners?" The forest had always interested Splotch, but he'd never dreamed he'd meet an actual forest cat._

"_Clan cats live in large groups called Clans," Leaf explained. "There are four groups of them: NorthClan, AmberClan, LightningClan, and TreeClan. Rogues don't live in Clans, but they're just as dangerous. Anyone who trespasses on what they think is their territory is in for it. Loners, like Sky and I, are more peaceful. We travel, usually not staying in one place. It's unusual for us to be traveling in groups. Even couples are strange."_

_Splotch devoured the information Leaf gave him. When the housefolk let Sky back out, he was frowning._

"_Who are you?" the tom demanded. "Leaf, what's going on?"_

"_Don't worry, Sky," Leaf soothed. "This is Splotch. He lives in the garden over. I was just telling him about the forest."_

_Sky sat down, glaring at Splotch suspiciously. "I think you should go."_

_Leaf rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, Splotch. He may seem like a meanie, but he's really a big softie."_

_Sky didn't take his eyes off Splotch, and the kittypet gulped. "My housefolk are probably looking for me. I should get going."_

_Leaf sighed. "Very well. If you have too. Goodbye, Splotch."_

"'_Bye," Splotch echoed.

* * *

_

"_Good!" Sky jumped back, panting. "Keep that up and you'll be a forest cat in no time."_

_Splotch's eyes gleamed. "You think so?"_

"_I know so," Leaf called from her shady spot under the large, leafy plants at the edge of her garden. "You're looking great."_

_Splotch beamed. For the past two moons, Leaf and Sky had been teaching him to hunt and fight. Leaf hadn't been able to participate for a few weeks; she was too close to kitting._

"_I have to admit," Sky said, still trying to catch his breath as he collapsed next to Leaf. "I didn't think you would do this good. But you did."_

"_Thanks for the faith," Splotch joked, laying down across from them. The two former forest cats had quickly become his best friends. He couldn't wait until their kits were born.

* * *

_

"_Sky!" Leaf yowled._

"_I'm here!" Sky crouched as close to Leaf as he could. "Remember what that Clan cat told us! Breathe, stay calm–!"_

"_How am I supposed to do that?" Leaf screeched._

"_You know what to do," Sky soothed as best he could. "Just stay calm."_

_He crept out to where Splotch was waiting, having heard the whole thing._

"_Is she okay?" Splotch asked worriedly._

"_Fine," Sky said tiredly. "This is her first litter, so she doesn't really know what she's doing, but..."_

"_She'll be fine," Splotch assured him. "I'm sure she will. And you'll have beautiful kits."_

_Sky shot him a kind glance. "Thank you, Splotch. Do you mind staying here while I go fetch some water?"_

"_Not at all," Splotch said. "Do what you have to do."_

_Sky nodded. "Thank you. So much." Then he disappeared over the fence.

* * *

_

"_Splotch. Wake up. Splotch?"_

_The kittypet blinked sleepily and looked up into the face of Leaf, who was standing over him._

"_Leaf!" Splotch jumped to his paws. "How are the kits?"_

_Leaf purred in amusement. "They're only a few days old, Splotch, calm down." Her face turned serious. "There's something I have to tell you."_

"_What?" Splotch asked._

"_We... Sky and I... We're leaving, Splotch."_

_Splotch blinked. "What?"_

"_We're leaving," Leaf repeated. "We can't stay here any longer. The Twolegs will take our kits away, and we can't let that happen."_

"_You can stop them!" Splotch wailed._

_Leaf's eyes gleamed sadly. "I'm sorry, Splotch. We can't." She rubbed her muzzle against him. "The kits would have loved you. Goodbye."_

"_Goodbye," Splotch whispered, his voice choked. "I'll always miss you, Leaf."

* * *

_

**A/N: Poor Splotch. I think I might have to give him a cameo in the next book, because I just love him so much. :3 Maybe he'll get his own story... Hm. You never know. Well, if you liked it, review! If you didn't... Still, review! I want to know how you felt! And I promise I won't snap at you! ...Maybe. XD**

**But still, review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	12. Chapter 11: The Lies We Tell

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: On time _again!_ See how great summer is? The updates are actually on time. :D  


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**Chapter 11: The Lies We Tell**

"Tanglepath?" Wishsong's voice was quiet.

He smiled, stepping out into the moonlight. "Wishsong," he murmured, brushing against her, breathing in her windblown scent.

"It's been too long," the LightningClan warrior whispered.

"It has," Tanglepath agreed. "I've missed you."

"Really? I haven't missed you at all."

Tanglepath narrowed his eyes playfully. "Really? That's too bad." He leaped at her.

She squealed as he nearly landed on her tail. "Tanglepath! Be careful!"

"I'm always careful," Tanglepath boasted, leaping at her again.

She jumped out of the way. "Ha! Can't catch a LightningClan warrior!"

Tanglepath sunk into a crouch. "Wanna bet?"

Her eyes gleamed mischievously, and she laughed loudly as he chased her around Four-place, their paws skidding through the dirt. When the moon was high and bright, and they were both tired out, they lay together, staring up at Silverpelt.

"Do you think SkyClan is watching us?" Wishsong murmured.

"They must be," Tanglepath replied. "They must have meant for us to be together, or we wouldn't be here like this right now."

Wishsong smiled at him, and he licked her ear fondly. They were both silent for a few moments before Wishsong broke the silence again.

"Do you think Moonstar is with them?" she asked suddenly.

"Of course!" Tanglepath exclaimed, a bit surprised that she had asked. Didn't all cats go to SkyClan when they died? "She was a leader. A great leader."

"She lost her entire Clan to Foxstar."

"Not her _entire_ Clan," Tanglepath corrected, gently nosing her shoulder.

"She might as well have," Wishsong whispered. "I have to do everything she tells me. If she told me I had to kill Coalfur. . . I'd have to. If I don't. . . Well, only SkyClan knows what she'll do."

"I won't let her hurt you," Tanglepath promised.

She smiled. "It's a nice thought, but you can't _always_ protect me. We're not always together."

"While you're here, when we _are_ together," Tanglepath whispered, "I can. She can't hurt you here. She can never hurt you when I'm around."

Wishsong sighed. "But in camp. . . Foxstar knows every cat's secrets. No one can hide anything from her. A few days ago, she almost Sunstep because he couldn't remember where he'd caught a sick rabbit. She thought he was lying to her. This one day, Shorttail didn't want to fight in a battle with AmberClan, and Foxstar thought he was trying to protect his mate, or something. And Tanglepath, she's known about _us_ since we were apprentices! If she chooses to tell anyone, it's her word against ours. We'll end up outcasts, or worse."

_Like Duskflame,_ Tanglepath thought, recalling the story that Moonshadow had told him about Tanglepath's former mentor and her forbidden mate: Moonfire of AmberClan, who had died in a border battle. Duskflame was not liked by most NorthClan warriors, distrusted by most AmberClan warriors, and ridiculed by TreeClan and LightningClan.

"She has nothing to gain by telling," Tanglepath said, trying to convince both Wishsong, and himself.

"Unless I stop obeying her," Wishsong whispered. "You see? If I don't do everything she tells me, she'll tell everyone. All of LightningClan will know, and they'll tell the other Clans. We'll never be able to see each other again!"

"That won't happen," Tanglepath vowed. "I swear to you, Wishsong. I will _not_ let her tear us apart again. She will not hurt us. I swear."

Wishsong's eyes filled with gratefulness. "Thank you, Tanglepath."

He smiled. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Ever. I swear."

* * *

Tanglepath's journey back to camp from Four-place was quick and uneventful. By now, he had memorized the route, having traveled it so many times both as an apprentice, and as a warrior.

He paused just out of sight of the camp to lick Wishsong's scent out of his fur. He'd thought about doing it back at Four-place, but he hadn't wanted to risk getting any other scents on him that would reveal where he'd been. The last thing he needed was for some cat to question why he had all four Clan scents on him.

Though he could hear stirring in the camp, he didn't bother paying attention to his surroundings. No cat would be coming this way. Only the dawn patrol would be leaving the camp, and they always headed straight for the AmberClan border. He wouldn't have to worry about meeting them.

So it was no surprise that he froze when he heard his voice called from behind him.

"Tanglepath?"

He whipped around, surprised to see Silvertail standing there, with Ravenpaw close by her side.

"Silvertail!" Tanglepath exclaimed. "What are you doing out here?"

"That would be a better question for you, I think," Silvertail said, frowning. "Dawnfire's looking for you for a hunting patrol, and you're out here _grooming_ yourself? Can't you do that in camp?"

Tanglepath shuffled his feet. Had Silvertail noticed Wishsong's scent on his fur?

"I was hunting!" he defended himself.

"So where's your fresh-kill?" Silvertail demanded.

"Back. . . there," Tanglepath said weakly, tossing his head over his shoulder.

Silvertail narrowed her eyes. "Ravenpaw, go on ahead. I'll meet you at the training hollow."

Ravenpaw hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Go," Silvertail said. "I'll be fine."

Ravenpaw nodded and took off into the forest.

Silvertail turned back to Tanglepath. "Were you meeting with Wishsong again?"

Tanglepath let out an indignant noise. "No!" he snapped. "Why would I be meeting with that traitor?"

Silvertail stared at him for a moment, and then relaxed. "Okay. I believe you."

Tanglepath felt a rush of guilt. Of course Silvertail had believed him. She had no reason not to. She was his sister, and they'd certainly stayed closer than any other relationship between the four siblings.

"I. . ." Silvertail sighed. "It's just that with Foxstar running around ready to kill any cat in her way, I wouldn't put it past her to use Wishsong against you again. I don't want to lose you, Tanglepath."

"I know," Tanglepath said quietly. "I wouldn't fall for anything like that."

_Would I? Is it possible that Foxstar knows we're meeting again, and that she's using Wishsong to get close to NorthClan?_

Tanglepath shook off the thought. Of course that wasn't true! Wishsong would never betray him.

"You did before," Silvertail whispered.

Tanglepath looked away. "It doesn't matter, because we're not meeting anyway. I wouldn't want to meet with her if my tail was falling off, and she was the only one who could put it back on."

Silvertail laughed. "I bet." She smiled at Tanglepath. "Have you seen how fat Jewelfoot is? It won't be long before her kits come."

"I know." Tanglepath dug his claws into the ground. "Maybe Stormstar will even let me mentor one of them."

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself," Silvertail teased. "The kits won't be here for a little while longer, and even after that, they won't be apprentices until they're six moons old!"

"I know," Tanglepath admitted. "But I'd still like to mentor one."

Silvertail smiled. "I'm sure you'd make a great mentor, Tanglepath."

He smiled back. "Thanks, Silvertail."

She turned to follow the way her apprentice had gone. "No problem. Now, I gotta go, and Dawnfire's probably still looking for you. You'd better hurry up!"

Tanglepath laughed as she disappeared into the forest.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, quick chapter. Mostly a filler chapter, but there is a plot point in here. Will I tell you what it is? No, probably not. ;D But don't worry, there'll be a new chapter soon, and you'll forget all about the supposed plot point in here.**

**Anyway, make sure to leave me a review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	13. Chapter 12: Battle at the Border

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Here's chapter 12! Sorry for the wait, but I went on a two week vacation, and when I got back, I couldn't find my flash drive. Luckily, I found it hiding under my bed. Hope I haven't lost all my readers! Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.

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**Chapter 12: Battle at the Border**

The bright, shining sun hung high in the cloudless blue sky, warming the camp as Silvertail lay next to Shadowleaf. Dawnfire had given them the day off and taken the apprentices out for an assessment.

"The two of you work your tails off everyday," she had said. "We need to get Tanglepath and some of those other lazy bones working."

So now Silvertail and Shadowleaf were lounging in the middle of camp. Jewelfoot and Rosetail were nearby. Jewelfoot's belly was stretched to its limit. Silvertail knew that it wouldn't be long before Jewelfoot's kits would come.

"Have you thought about names yet?" Rosetail asked.

Jewelfoot laughed. "Ravenpaw stopped by the other day and suggested the name Super-awesomekit."

Silvertail snickered quietly. "I didn't think he'd get the guts to do it."

Shadowleaf shook his head. "Doesn't surprise me. That apprentice would take on Foxstar herself if you told him to."

"Do you mean me, or just you in general?" Silvertail asked, a bit confused.

"I mean _you_." Shadowleaf pressed his nose to her fur.

"He would not!" Silvertail blushed.

"He'd do anything you told him," Shadowleaf told her, smirking.

Silvertail's head snapped around as she heard quick pawsteps hurrying towards the camp. Moments later, Ravenpaw appeared, panting hard.

"Speak of the devil," Silvertail muttered.

Shadowleaf got to his feet, frowning. "Ravenpaw, what's going on? Where's Poolpaw? And Dawnfire?"

"LightningClan attacked us!" Ravenpaw panted. "We were on our way to the training hollow, where we were going to start, and they attacked!"

Stripefur, who was on the other side of the camp with Duskflame, perked up his ears. "LightningClan?" He leaped to his paws. "Silvertail, Shadowleaf, Tanglepath! Let's go!"

"That's not enough!" Ravenpaw wailed. "Foxstar must have brought the whole Clan!"

Stripefur's eyes widened. "Topazfur, Moonshadow, Smokefoot, and Mistypool! You come too!"

"What about me?" Twilightsky demanded.

"Stay here," Stripefur ordered. "Guard the camp. Rosetail, you help."

"LightningClan scum, thinking they can get into _our_ camp?" spat Lightstripe, one of the elders. His fur bristled angrily. "Don't think we're going to be left out of this, Stripefur!"

Rainshadow, another of the elders, rested his tail on Lightstripe's back. "Calm down, Lightstripe," he murmured, and then turned to Stripefur. "We'll help."

The striped warrior nodded. "Very well. Help guard the camp. Twilightsky, you're in charge. Don't let any LightningClan cat pass!"

"Yes, Stripefur!" Twilightsky puffed his chest up.

"Now let's go!" Stripefur ordered, running towards the camp entrance. "NorthClan, to Four-place!"

"They're not at Four-place!" Ravenpaw exclaimed. "We were on the AmberClan border! LightningClan must have crossed AmberClan territory!"

"Fox dung!" Stripefur swore. "Ravenpaw, show us the way."

The black furred apprentice nodded, and then dashed off into the forest, the NorthClan cats hot on his heels.

They slammed to a stop halfway there, when Stormstar appeared, Sunstripe and Emberheart behind him.

"What's going on?" the NorthClan leader demanded.

"Dawnfire and Poolpaw are under attack at the AmberClan border!" Stripefur explained.

Stormstar's eyes widened. "We're coming with you. Emberheart, go back and defend the camp."

"Twilightsky will be waiting for you," Stripefur added as Emberheart took off.

"Let's go!" Ravenpaw wailed.

Soon, the sound of screeching cats reached Silvertail's ears. She felt her heart skip a beat. Dawnfire and Poolpaw didn't stand a chance if they didn't get there soon!

The whole group sped up, running as hard as they could. They soon reached the edge of a clearing, bursting out of the trees.

Foxstar stood over Dawnfire, gloating, while Darkfur stood off to the side, holding Poolpaw by the scruff.

"Is this all NorthClan has to offer?" Foxstar sneered. "A weakling deputy and an apprentice barely out of the nursery?"

"If you think that they will not have reinforcements," Stormstar called, "then you are even more stupid than I thought, Foxstar." He let out a furious battle yowl and ran forward, pelting into Foxstar, and knocking the LightningClan leader off her paws.

Silvertail yowled along with him and leaped into battle. She looked frantically for Poolpaw, but saw that Ravenpaw had already reached her, and they were fighting Darkfur side by side. Her heart leaped as she saw Coalfur, Wishsong's brother, standing over Shadowleaf, who was fighting furiously, but still trapped.

"No!" Silvertail screeched, leaping forward and knocking Coalfur off. "You stay away from him!" she snarled. Coalfur bared his teeth and hissed as Silvertail and Shadowleaf attacked him together.

"Cowards," Coalfur hissed. "Is NorthClan too afraid to fight on their own?"

Silvertail didn't answer, just raked her claws down his side as Shadowleaf bit down hard on his tail. Coalfur let out a pained yowl, and then shook them both off and turned, dashing towards the woods.

Silvertail whirled around, looking for another enemy, and realized that the battle wasn't going as well for her Clanmates. Stripefur and Tanglepath were backed up against a tree, and Stormstar was snarling furiously as he and Mistypool were surrounded by a ring of LightningClan warriors.

Suddenly, there was a surprised exclamation from behind them. Silvertail and Shadowleaf spun around to see a black and silver striped she-cat.

"Hawkwing!" Silvertail gasped.

"Silvertail?" There was surprise in the AmberClan deputy's voice. "What's going on here?"

"LightningClan attacked us!" Silvertail exclaimed. "They crossed your territory to get here!"

Hawkwing's eyes flashed. "No LightningClan cat crosses AmberClan territory without permission and gets away with it!" She turned to the three cats behind her, Shadefoot, Leafmoon, and Lightpaw. "AmberClan, attack!"

The four AmberClan warriors dove forward into the battle, and Silvertail and Shadowleaf joined them, yowling as they fought off their attackers.

Hawkwing barreled into Foxstar, knocking the LightningClan leader away from Moonshadow. "You do not belong here," the AmberClan deputy hissed. "Leave now, or AmberClan will make you!"

Foxstar backed away, panting heavily qand snarling. "I see what side AmberClan is on. Both of your Clans will pay for this."

"Yeah, right!" Ravenpaw snapped. "Get back to your rabbit holes!" Silvertail quickly hushed him by slapping her tail over his mouth.

Foxstar's eyes landed on Ravenpaw. "You should teach your apprentices to keep their mouths shut," she said coolly, starting to back away. "LightningClan, let's go." She and her warriors turned and disappeared into the forest.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" Ravenpaw yowled after them.

Stormstar turned to Hawkwing. Blood was trickling from a gash over his eye. "Thank you," he said. "Without your help, that battle would have turned bad quickly."

"AmberClan would never betray an ally in need," Hawkwing declared.

Stormstar smiled briefly. "It's good to know that _some_ Clan still has honor."

Hawkwing dipped her head in respect to the NorthClan leader. "Well, Stormstar, I would like to stay and help your warriors return to your camp, but my warriors and I must return to camp and inform Smallstar of what has happened."

"Go," Stormstar said, nodding in agreement. "And may SkyClan watch over you."

"And you," Hawkwing replied. Then she flicked her tail and she and her warriors turned and dove through the forest.

Stormstar turned to the Clan. "Is everyone okay?" he asked. "No one is too badly injured?"

There were scattered choruses of "fine." Silvertail peered around, and then frowned. _Where's Dawnfire?_

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching yowl split the air. Silvertail whipped around to see Poolpaw pushing her way through the crowd of NorthClan cats. _"No!"_

She stopped, collapsing on the ground and burying her face in a heap of tabby fur.

Dawnfire.

"No!" Next to Silvertail, Ravenpaw gasped and ran towards his mother. Stormstar wailed in pain and sorrow and crouched next to his mate.

"She's… gone," he whispered. Poolpaw wailed in anguish.

"She hunts with SkyClan now," Stripefur said, his voice trembling. "We must return to camp. Tanglepath, Shadowleaf, carry Dawnfire's body."

Shadowleaf touched his tail to Silvertail's shoulder, giving her a sad look, before moving to help Tanglepath lift Dawnfire's body. Silvertail made her way over to the apprentices and drew them close with her tail.

"It'll be okay," Silvertail told them brokenly. "She has SkyClan to care for her now. She is safe."

Neither apprentice answered, their heads bowed close together in their shared pain.

The walk back to camp was solemn and sad. No cat spoke. Stripefur led the way, and Sunstripe and Topazfur guarded the group from behind.

When they finally reached the camp, Twilightsky poked his head out of the nursery. "What happened?" he demanded. "Did you win?"

Then Tanglepath and Shadowleaf came through the camp entrance with Dawnfire's body, and Twilightsky let out a horrified wail.

Lillypelt stuck her head out of the medicine den. "What in SkyClan's name is-?" She broke off, seeing Dawnfire. "No!" she gasped.

Stormstar leapt onto the island in the Widestream. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting!"

The elders dashed out of their den, and Jewelfoot and Rosetail hurried to their mates. Featherstorm joined Lillypelt outside the medicine den.

"Today," Stormstar said, "we suffered a harsh blow. Dawnfire, our deputy, is dead."

No cat spoke.

"It is Foxstar and LightningClan that are behind this death!" Stormstar went on. "And I swear to you, they will pay! No NorthClan cat's death, from kit to elder, goes unavenged. But now is not the time for revenge. Dawnfire's spirit will go to SkyClan, and we must rest and heal. And I must also name a new deputy."

He closed his eyes, and a brief expression of pain crossed his features before he spoke. "I say these words before the body of Dawnfire, so that she may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy of NorthClan will be Stripefur."

The entire Clan surged to their paws. "Stripefur, Stripefur!" they all called, praising the new deputy.

Stripefur stood, dipping his head in acknowledgement of their praise, and signaled for silence. "Thank you, Stormstar. I only hope that I can serve my Clan with half as much dignity and grace that Dawnfire did. But I promise you this: I will match her loyalty to this Clan. I will not let NorthClan fall!"

The Clan cheered, a roar of approval for the new deputy.

"Quiet, quiet," Stormstar called, waving his tail for silence once more. "Tonight we will hold a vigil for Dawnfire. For now, if you are injured, go see Featherstorm and Lillypelt and have your injuries treated. Everyone else, we need hunting patrols, and someone needs to make sure LightningClan _really_ left."

Tanglepath jumped to his feet. "I'll do it, Stormstar."

The leader nodded. "Take Sunstripe and Emberheart with you." Stormstar turned to Silvertail. "Shadowleaf, Silvertail, take your apprentices and go catch as much prey as you can."

Silvertail cast a glance over at the apprentices. "They need time, Stormstar."

"There will be time later to grieve," Stormstar said, looking at his kits with a sad fondness in his eyes. "But the Clan comes first, and right now, we need food."

Silvertail opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Ravenpaw. "We'll go," he interrupted. He turned to Poolpaw and nudged her to her feet. She shook herself, as if she could shake off Dawnfire's death so that she could put the Clan before her own grief.

The four cats paused before leaving so that they could pay their last respects to their fallen deputy. Shadowleaf gently gave her fur a lick before stepping back. Poolpaw and Ravenpaw bowed their heads sorrowfully over their mother's body, looking anguished. Silvertail paused the longest, gently grooming the deputy's fur and sending a last, silent, message to her.

_Your death was not in vain. The Clan will mourn you, but we will not forget you. Your death will only strengthen us, because we will have all the more reason to fight LightningClan and Foxstar. They will pay for this. Go with SkyClan, Dawnfire, so you can watch over us forever.

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**A/N: Dawnfire is dead! And Stripefur is the new deputy! Make sure you leave a review and tell me what you think about Dawnfire's death. :)  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	14. Chapter 13: A Meeting of Minds

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Omigosh, I'm on time? What is this? Hehe, I actually remembered. Aren't you proud of me? :D Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

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****Chapter 13: A Meeting of Minds**

"Gathering tonight," Tanglepath observed. He, Silvertail, and Shadowleaf were situated in the middle of the camp after a long day of patrolling.

The other two nodded. The whole Clan had adjusted quickly to the deputy change, but they were all still mourning the loss of Dawnfire. None of them were looking forward to meeting LightningClan and Foxstar at the Gathering that night.

Tanglepath yawned as Stripefur came up to them. "I hope you three didn't work too hard today," the new deputy meowed. "Stormstar wants you to come to the Gathering. Poolpaw and Ravenpaw too," he added with a glance at Silvertail and Shadowleaf.

Tanglepath felt new strength flow into him. Maybe Wishsong would be there!

"Thanks, Stripefur," Silvertail said. The deputy dipped his head and turned to leave. Silvertail glanced over at Shadowleaf. "I'll go tell the apprentices. Stormstar will probably want us to get going soon."

Shadowleaf nodded, and he and Tanglepath watched as she hurried away.

"You're a lucky cat, Shadowleaf," Tanglepath murmured. "I'm sure there's more than one cat in the Clan who would want her as a mate."

Shadowleaf looked down at his paws, embarrassed, but Tanglepath noticed that he didn't try to deny that he and Tanglepath's sister were mates.

"She's a good cat," Shadowleaf said in agreement. "She's got a big heart, but she sticks to the warrior code like a burr."

Tanglepath had never really known the other tom before, but since he and Silvertail had started to grow closer, Tanglepath had begun to warm up to him. The smoky black warrior was a kind cat, and one Tanglepath was glad to have on his side.

They fell silent, quickly finishing their meals. A moment later, Silvertail rejoined them with the apprentices, and she and Shadowleaf began sharing tongues. Tanglepath gave his fur a quick grooming.

Not long after, as the sun was beginning to sink down below the tree line, Stormstar appeared out of his den, with Stripefur behind him. He went to stand by the camp entrance. Topazfur to stand by the NorthClan leader, and a moment later, Emberheart, Moonshadow, and Duskflame joined them.

Tanglepath hurriedly finished grooming himself, and then got to his paws and followed Silvertail and Shadowleaf over to the entrance, the apprentices on their heels. They reached the group just as Stormstar was giving a few parting words to Sunstripe.

"If LightningClan attacks and you need more warriors, don't hesitate to come to Four-place," Stormstar said. "But don't _you_ leave. Send another cat." He looked thoughtful. "Send Featherstorm."

Sunstripe dipped his head. "Yes, Stormstar."

Stormstar glanced over his shoulder at the gathered cats. "Let's go," he ordered.

They all slipped out of camp behind the NorthClan leader, hurrying through the territory toward Four-place. Tanglepath noticed that all the warriors were on alert, their ears straining to catch the sounds of any trespassing warriors, and their jaws parted ever so slightly to drink in the scents of the air.

The Gathering procession was a silent one. It was the Clan's first Gathering since Dawnfire's death, and it felt strange not to have her padding along with Stormstar and Stripefur as the Clan headed for Four-place.

Only Ravenpaw seemed unaffected by the dark cloud that hung over the Clan's heads. It was the young apprentice's first Gathering, and though he stuck close to Silvertail and Poolpaw, excitement burned in his eyes.

In what seemed like no time, the Clan quickly reached Four-place, and Stormstar paused just outside the circle of trees that ringed the clearing. Behind him, the other NorthClan cats stopped, too. No cat spoke, and finally, Stormstar gave the signal to move, and they all plunged into the clearing.

Immediately, the NorthClan warriors spread out, going to sit and speak with old friends, and to swap battle stories and challenge the others to see who had the most scars. A few cats paused, searching the clearing for someone to speak with, and though Tanglepath was looking as well, he had eyes for only one cat.

He soon spotted her ginger-and-white pelt, and her green eyes flashed at him. He smiled and went to move towards her, but Wishsong shook her head, glancing up at the Great Tree, where the leaders sat. Foxstar had already taken her place among its leafy branches, and was staring down at her cats.

Tanglepath sighed, and flicked his tail in her direction to let her know that he understood. A moment later, Silvertail and Shadowleaf passed him.

"Come on," Silvertail said, flicking his shoulder with her tail. "I see Shadefoot and some TreeClan warriors. Let's go sit with them."

Tanglepath nodded, following the other two warriors to go sit by Shadefoot. There were two TreeClan cats sitting with the AmberClan warrior. One was a black she-cat with white markings, and the other was a golden tom, with black paws and a black tail tip.

"NorthClan arrives," Shadefoot declared, dipping his head to Tanglepath, Silvertail, and Shadowleaf.

"Evening, Shadefoot," Shadowleaf greeted the AmberClan tom.

"Have you three met these two?" Shadefoot flicked his tail at the two TreeClan warriors.

"I'm afraid not," Silvertail answered.

"I'm Eveningsong," the she-cat introduced herself. "And this is Sunflash."

"I'm Tanglepath, and these are Silvertail and Shadowleaf." Tanglepath flicked his tail toward the other two in turn, and they all settled down.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud yowl from the Great Tree. Tanglepath looked up to see that Stormstar had risen to his paws, and was calling the gathered cats to a silence.

"We gather here, under the full moon in a sacred truce, by the will of SkyClan." Tanglepath realized with surprise that Stormstar was speaking the ancient words that used to start the Gathering each full moon, but had fallen into disuse over recent seasons. "So that our Clans may continue to live in peace." There was a dry, sarcastic tone to his words, and Tanglepath winced when he saw a few LightningClan warriors flicking their tails irritably.

"Is he trying to get us all killed?" Silvertail hissed.

"Quiet!" the other warriors snapped.

Stormstar turned to the other leaders. "Who would like to go first? Pebblestar? Smallstar?"

The black-and-white AmberClan leader stood. "I will go first. Prey runs well in AmberClan, and we have two new warriors. Leafpaw and Lightpaw have earned their warrior names, and are now known as Leafpelt and Lightjay."

Tanglepath looked around. He had known the two AmberClan cats as an apprentice, though they hadn't spoken in a while. He finally spotted the two siblings, Leafpelt a brown tabby she-cat, and Lightjay a black tom. He murmured his congratulations before turning back to see that Smallstar was sitting, and Pebblestar had risen to her paws.

"TreeClan is settling back into our territory nicely," the TreeClan leader meowed. "We also have two new warriors. Barkpaw and Feralpaw are now known as Barkfoot and Feralclaw. Other than that, prey is running well, and we hope to see the return of newleaf soon."

As if in answer to her words, a warm breeze ruffled the pelts of the gathered cats. Tanglepath couldn't help but feel thankful as Foxstar stood. Her blue eyes glinted as she began to speak.

"LightningClan has little to celebrate this moon," she said, glaring around at the other leaders. "I was on my way to speak with Stormstar and Smallstar when we were suddenly dragged into battle by a few passing NorthClan warriors. Some of my cats nearly lost their lives."

_What?_ Indignation forced Tanglepath to his feet, yowling a protest. Foxstar was making it sound as if _NorthClan_ had started the battle that had claimed Dawnfire's life!

Stormstar hissed, getting to his own paws. "How dare you accuse NorthClan of attacking your warriors? You led a patrol of your own cats, and attacked my deputy and two apprentices! If it weren't for Ravenpaw coming back to the camp, they _both_ would have died!"

"Both?" Pebblestar looked between the two leaders in confusion. "What do you mean, both?"

"Tell them, Foxstar," Stormstar spat. "Tell them how you killed Dawnfire!"

Gasps rose up from the Clans. Tanglepath stared angrily at Foxstar, waiting for the LightningClan leader's answer.

"If NorthClan does not know how to train their warriors," she said coolly, "then it is none of LightningClan's business. We almost won, so it doesn't matter anyway."

"That's a lie!" accused Hawkwing from her place at the foot of the Great Tree. "As soon as AmberClan showed up, you turned and ran with your tails between your legs!"

Foxstar's eyes flashed angrily. "It doesn't matter," she repeated, sitting down.

Stormstar glared, and it took him a moment before he could turn and address the gathered Clans. "Because of Dawnfire's death, I was forced to pick a new cat as my deputy. Stripefur is NorthClan's new deputy, and he is serving his Clan well."

Most of the warriors were too shocked to congratulate Stripefur, but Tanglepath saw Hawkwing dip her head to the striped warrior. The two had known each other for a long time, and were good friends, despite the Clan boundaries between them.

Stormstar quickly wrapped up his news, and then leaped down from the Great Tree. "We're leaving," he growled as he passed them, stalking off into the night.

* * *

Silvertail watched her leader go anxiously, and then hurried off after him, Shadowleaf and Tanglepath at her side. She paused as the sound of arguing voices reached her, and she pricked her ears. Shadowleaf glanced back.

"Go on," she meowed. "I'll be right there."

He shrugged, and then turned and followed Stormstar, Tanglepath, and the other NorthClan warriors.

Silvertail slipped into a small bush to hide herself, and pricked her ears, trying to catch the voices again.

"…saw you looking at him," a voice was accusing angrily. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? What if Foxstar had seen?"

Silvertail froze. LightningClan!

"She didn't, so it doesn't matter," argued another voice, a she-cat. "Coalfur, I know you're worried, but you don't have to be. We'll be fine."

_Wishsong!_ Silvertail realized with a jolt. What was the LightningClan she-cat talking about?

"No, you won't!" argued the tom, Coalfur. "Remember what happened last time? Foxstar will flay him, and then she'll go after you! Are you really going to make me choose between the warrior code and my sister?"

_Last time?_ Silvertail frowned, and then it hit her.

Tanglepath. He was meeting Wishsong again. And he hadn't told Silvertail.

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh, Tanglepath, Silvertail knows your secret... How's he gonna get himself out of this one? It'll be revealed soon, I promise. ;) Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	15. Chapter 14: Kits!

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I got distracted with other things, but I'm here now. Hope you enjoy. :)  
**

**THIS CHAPTER HAS A STRONG "T" RATING. The final scene in the chapter contains some scary imagery that you may or may not want to read. It isn't a necessary plot point, but I will include a summary of the scene in the ending A/N if you choose not to read it.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 14: Kits!**

Silvertail shifted in her nest. Every few moments, her eyes would slowly drift shut, and then some cat would move or flick their tail in their sleep, and they would snap back open again. Next to her, Shadowleaf's sides rose and fell with his breaths.

"Silvertail, go to sleep," he mumbled. "You're keeping me up with your moving."

"Sorry," she whispered. She pressed her nose to his ear, and then sighed. There was no way she was going to fall asleep. She slowly got to her paws and slipped out of the den. The air outside was crisp and cool, but it carried the faintest hints of newleaf.

Twilightsky was up, too. He paced back and forth in front of the nursery, looking anxious. Featherstorm appeared out of the medicine den and dashed across the clearing.

"Move!" she ordered Twilightsky. The black tom skittered out of the way as she hurried inside.

Rosetail appeared a moment later, giving Twilightsky a sympathetic look. "She'll be fine," the tabby she-cat reassured him. "She's got Lillypelt and Featherstorm looking after her, and the Clans have never seen such great medicine cats."

Twilightsky sighed. "I only wish I could be as calm as you are."

Rosetail smiled and pressed her nose to Twilightsky's side. Then she turned and padded over to the fresh-kill pile.

Silvertail hurried over to her. "What's going on?" she asked.

Rosetail's eyes shone with excitement. "Jewelfoot's kits are coming! Lillypelt and Featherstorm are looking after her, but it certainly isn't reassuring Twilightsky."

Silvertail snickered. "I can tell. But I suppose all toms are that way."

"They are," Rosetail confirmed. "I remember when you and your siblings were born. Moonshadow looked like he was going to die every time Mistypool made a single noise. Lillypelt was getting run off her paws. I was only an apprentice at the time," she added, "but I knew even then that I wanted kits." She sighed happily. "Now my dream has come true."

Silvertail didn't mention that the father of Rosetail's kits, Topazfur, had never been the friendliest cat, and certainly hadn't been very kind to Tanglepath or Silvertail.

"You and Shadowleaf will have some soon, too, I expect," Rosetail went on. "Shouldn't be too long."

Silvertail felt the tips of her ears burn. "I… I really haven't thought about it. I haven't even spoken with Shadowleaf yet."

"Don't worry," Rosetail soothed her, touching her tail tip to Silvertail's shoulder. "He'll understand that it's not exactly something you can control."

Silvertail blinked. "Uh… What?"

Rosetail frowned. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

"Noticed what?" Silvertail asked, confused.

The tabby she-cat stared at her in surprise. "Silvertail, you're pregnant!"

Silvertail stared right back at her. "You… You're kidding, right?"

"I…" Rosetail blinked slowly, but before she could say anything more, Featherstorm appeared out of the nursery and said a few quiet words to Twilightsky. Silvertail pricked her ears to hear better, but Twilightsky let out a jubilated yowl and dashed into the nursery. Featherstorm rolled her eyes before picking her way across the camp to where Rosetail and Silvertail stood together.

"They're here?" Rosetail asked excitedly.

"Yes," Featherstorm answered. "She's got three beautiful kits. Lillypelt's taking care of her, though I doubt she'll be needed."

"Everything went fine, then?" Rosetail guessed.

"Perfectly," Featherstorm told her. "Two she-cats and a tom. I suppose they're naming them now. You can come see them if you want."

Rosetail sighed happily. "That sounds wonderful. I need to get back to my nest anyway, but I doubt that Jewelfoot will mind if Silvertail checks in."

"Come on, then," Featherstorm said. She turned back to the nursery, flicking her tail for them to come with her. Rosetail followed eagerly, and Silvertail came after her a bit more slowly. She was feeling a turmoil of emotions inside. Could she really be expecting kits? Was it even possible?

Did she even _want_ kits?

She couldn't imagine being trapped in the nursery, unable to hunt, unable to fight, unable to train her apprentice. What would Ravenpaw do if she couldn't train him? Could Shadowleaf train both Ravenpaw _and_ Poolpaw? Would he have enough time? What if Ravenpaw fell behind in his training because she couldn't train him?

She pushed away her anxieties. She didn't even know if she _was_ pregnant yet. There was no point in worrying.

She slipped into the nursery. Rosetail had settled down in her nest. Twilightsky was standing proudly next to a tired-looking Jewelfoot. Lillypelt was checking over the kits, and Featherstorm was collecting leftover herbs and cobwebs.

"You came to see the kits?" Twilightsky guessed. Silvertail nodded and moved over to stand next to him. She peered down curiously at the three tiny, squirming kits.

"What are their names?" she asked.

"The gray she-kit with black paws is Nightkit," Jewelfoot answered, yawning. "The other she-kit is Graykit." She indicated a small gray she-cat. "And the tom is Blackkit." She pointed to the black tom with her tail.

Silvertail smiled, remembering Poolpaw's suggestion. "Those are wonderful names," she told Jewelfoot, touching her nose to the other she-cat's ear. "And they're beautiful kits. I'm sure they'll be wonderful warriors."

"Thank you," Jewelfoot purred, and Twilightsky puffed out his chest proudly.

"Silvertail," Featherstorm called. "There are enough cats in here. How about you help me clean up and bring everything back to the medicine den?"

"Sure." Silvertail padded over to her sister, picking up a clump of cobwebs and following the white-furred medicine cat out of the den and into the medicine den.

She lay down the cobwebs as Featherstorm started sorting through the herbs, laying them out into three different piles. She knew she should get back to the warriors' den, but she was reluctant to leave.

"Featherstorm…" she said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

She hesitated. "I… Rosetail said something, while we were waiting for the kits to be born… It… It kind of stuck with me, and I wanted to… to ask you about it."

"What did she say?"

Silvertail swallowed. "She said I'm expecting kits."

Featherstorm looked up from the herbs. "Come over here," she told Silvertail. "Lay down on your side."

Silvertail did as she was told, and Featherstorm pressed a paw to Silvertail's stomach. She held it there for a moment, and then moved it slowly.

"Have you been hungrier than usual lately?" she asked as she repeated the motion.

Silvertail blinked in surprise. She hadn't even noticed it until now. "I… I suppose I have."

Featherstorm nodded slowly before removing her paw. "I'm fairly certain," she told her, "but I'd like to have Lillypelt check."

"Fairly certain of what?" Silvertail asked anxiously.

"That's what I'd like to know," a voice mewed behind them. Lillypelt slipped into the den, her green eyes flicking between her apprentice and Silvertail.

"Rosetail thinks that Silvertail's pregnant," Featherstorm told Lillypelt. "I was just checking. I _think_ I've got it right, but I thought you might want to check for yourself."

"I'm sure that you're right," Lillypelt assured her apprentice, "but if it makes you happy, I'll check anyway."

She moved over to Silvertail and placed her paw on her stomach. She moved it slowly, and then nodded. "Definitely. At least two."

Silvertail's heart skipped a beat. "So… I'm pregnant?" she whispered.

"For sure," Lillypelt answered.

Featherstorm's face broke into a rare grin. "Congratulations!" She licked Silvertail's cheek as she scrambled to her paws.

Silvertail just blinked, dazed. She couldn't possibly be pregnant, could she? It wasn't possible. Was it? What if Shadowleaf didn't want kits? What if _she_ didn't want kits? What would happen to Ravenpaw now? Would she have to move to the nursery?

"You've got a moon or two before you'll need to move to the nursery," Lillypelt said, as if she had read her mind. "Until then, you can stay in the warriors' den. Unless of course, you _want_ to move to the nursery now."

She stared at Lillypelt blankly. Why would she _want_ to?

She swallowed. "Thanks," she mumbled, before turning and leaving the den.

* * *

She wandered aimlessly around camp for a while, and then finally trailed into the warriors' den. Sleep evaded her for a long time, but when she finally drifted off, she had a dream.

Or maybe nightmare.

* * *

She was running through the forest at breakneck speed. Somewhere in front of her, she could hear some cat crashing through the undergrowth, but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't catch up.

Suddenly, the crashing stopped, and she nearly crashed into the cat. An unfamiliar scent washed over her, flooding her senses. She stumbled backwards as the cat turned around to face her.

But she immediately recognized the green eyes and tabby pelt of the familiar warrior, despite the strange scent. It was Tanglepath.

"SkyClan," she breathed. "Why didn't you just tell me it was you?"

"Don't you trust me?" Tanglepath whispered. "Why do you have to do this to me? I'm not hurting anyone. It's just me and Wishsong. Don't you trust me?"

She stumbled back a step. It was definitely Tanglepath who was speaking, but it wasn't his voice. She would know his voice anywhere. After all, they were siblings. They'd been denmates in the nursery, trained together, and were still friends as warriors. But this was definitely _not_ Tanglepath's voice.

Suddenly, Tanglepath's eyes bulged out and all his fur stood on end. His eyes seemed to melt out of his face, and all his fur fell out. Silvertail let out a horrified yowl, and tried to turn away and run into the forest, but found that she couldn't move.

Then new eyeballs filled the empty sockets on the cat's face, and new fur grew over the hairless skin. Golden eyes, and thick black fur.

Shadowleaf.

"Kits?" he said. The voice, which wasn't his, was disbelieving. "I don't want kits. How could you do this to me? Don't you love me, Silvertail? Don't you love me?"

Then he began to tremble, and the eyes bulged out, the fur on end. Silvertail let out another yowl as the thing changed into yet another cat. Ravenpaw.

"Have you forgotten me?" the fake Ravenpaw demanded in its fake voice. "Kits will ruin everything! How will I finish my training? What about _me_, Silvertail?"

Then it morphed again, this time changing into a less familiar cat, a white and orange she-cat, with bright green eyes.

It was Wishsong.

"Leave us be," it said. "We're not doing any harm. Leave us alone, Silvertail. No one's getting hurt. Leave us alone!"

Then the thing was Tanglepath again. "Don't you trust me?" it whispered.

Suddenly, it was Shadowleaf, changing much quicker this time. "Don't you love me?" it asked.

"What about me?" Ravenpaw now.

"Leave us alone!" the fake Wishsong snapped.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Don't you love me?"

"What about _me_?"

"Leave us alone!"

"Don't you—"

"—love me?"

"What about—"

"—alone!"

Then the thing quivered, and it collapsed to the ground. Its eyes melted, and its fur fell out, but no new eyes or fur came to replace it.

"Help me," it whispered. She shuddered. Its voice was horrible and pathetic at the same time. She felt both sympathy and disgust well up inside her.

"Help me," it repeated. "Please, Silvertail. Help me."

She tried to take a step forward, but couldn't. She tried to fight the invisible hold on her, but she just simply couldn't move.

"I can't," she whispered.

The horrible creature broke into a pitiful wail. It sliced through her as easily as teeth in fresh-kill. She shuddered.

"Help me!" it shrieked. "Help me, I'll die!"

"I can't," she whispered again. "I can't. I'm sorry."

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**A/N: As promised, here's a summary of the last scene:**

**Silvertail has a dream in which she is running after a cat in the forest. It turns out to be Tanglepath, and he demands, in a voice that is not his own, why she won't just leave he and Wishsong alone. The creature then turns into Shadowleaf, who asks why she would ever want kits, again in a voice that doesn't belong to him. After that, the creature turns into Ravenpaw, who asks what will happen to him after Silvertail moves to the nursery. Finally, it becomes Wishsong, who angrily shouts for Silvertail to leave she and Tanglepath alone. The changing speeds up until their words are mixed together. Finally, the creature shows its true form, with no eyes or fur, and begs Silvertail to help it, but she is unable to.**

**So yeah, it's a little weird. I hope you liked it, though. :) Review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	16. Chapter 15: Three Words

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Gah! Sorry for the epic lateness. I just started at a new school in a new program, and I have loads of homework, so I haven't been able to get on until now. But I'm here! :D So, again, sorry for being late, but to make you all happy, here's some mushy Tangle/Wish goodness.  


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**Chapter 15: Three Words**

"Wishsong?" Tanglepath called tentatively, stepping out of the trees on NorthClan's side of Four-place.

The small, lithe LightningClan she-cat slipped out of a small bush. Her face split into a smile. "Tanglepath!" She dashed across the clearing, greeting him with purrs and licks.

"I didn't think you would be here," Tanglepath confessed. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here last night, but Jewelfoot's kits were coming and Silvertail was sitting out in camp, and—"

Wishsong cut him off, flicking her tail against his mouth. "Don't worry about it," she murmured. "What's one night?"

He sighed and lay down on the ground. Wishsong sat down next to him, dragging her tongue over his fur in long laps.

He stared down at his paws. All day and the day before, which had been the day after the Gathering, Silvertail had been shooting him suspicious glares and looks. At first, he'd wondered what he'd done wrong, until he realized that Silvertail must have known about his meetings with Wishsong, or at least suspected them.

"Are you okay?" Wishsong's voice called him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see her green eyes staring down at him.

"Fine," he murmured.

"Tell me," she urged. "You know you can trust me."

He sighed. "It's nothing, just… Silvertail."

Wishsong's eyes widened with concern. "Is something wrong? She's not injured, is she?"

"No, no," he assured her. "It's just… All day today, and yesterday for that matter, she's been giving me these looks, like I've done something wrong. But I haven't! Well, except for coming here…" He trailed off, looking up at Wishsong. He hoped she wasn't offended by his last statement.

But she looked perfectly calm. "We know what we're doing," she murmured. "We aren't just apprentices, fooling ourselves into thinking that this is just a harmless friendship that can't hurt anyone. We're warriors now, and we know every time we meet here that we're breaking the warrior code. But we do it for a feeling that's more powerful than the warrior code."

He looked up at her, surprised by the conviction of her words.

"I would die for you, Tanglepath," she whispered.

He sat up and nuzzled the top of her head. "I would do anything for you, Wishsong," he murmured. He slowly dragged his tongue over her ear, and then pulled back to stare into her bright green eyes. "I love you, Wishsong."

She stared right back. "I love you, too, Tanglepath."

He rested his head on top of hers, and she reached up into his touch, nuzzling him. Her purrs vibrated his whole body, and he had never felt more at home.

* * *

"Keep your claws sheathed!" Silvertail snapped at Ravenpaw. The apprentice shuffled his paws, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry, Silvertail," he mumbled. "I got carried away."

Silvertail sighed. Maybe she had been too harsh. She touched her tail tip to Ravenpaw's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's a mistake any cat could make. Just be more careful next time."

He perked up. "Yes, Silvertail!"

Two days had passed since Jewelfoot had kitted, and since Silvertail had found out that she was expecting. She had made sure to swear Featherstorm, Lillypelt, and Rosetail to secrecy. She didn't want Shadowleaf to find out from some other cat. She wanted to be the one who told him.

On the other side of the clearing, Shadowleaf was wrestling with Poolpaw. The apprentice had managed to get him pinned, but he wriggled out and lashed out with a paw, cuffing the apprentice around the ears, claws sheathed. Poolpaw leapt backwards to avoid the paw, and then leaped forward again, bowling Shadowleaf over and pinning him on his stomach.

They both stayed that way for a moment, panting for breath. Finally, Poolpaw climbed off of Shadowleaf, and the black furred warrior stood up. He quickly groomed his fur into place before turning to his apprentice and saying, "Well done!"

Poolpaw's eyes shone with happiness. "Thank you, Shadowleaf."

"You're both doing well," Silvertail commented. "It's almost time for an assessment."

"Our warrior assessment?" Ravenpaw asked hopefully.

"No, not yet," Shadowleaf said, coming over and sitting down, with Poolpaw right next to him. "You've still got a moon or two left before that."

"But you both fought well today," Silvertail praised them. "Why don't you go hunting, and see if you can catch enough for the elders and the queens?"

Ravenpaw snorted. "I doubt we'll be able to. Jewelfoot eats so much, it seems like she'd eat the whole forest if she could."

"Be nice," Poolpaw chastised her brother. "She's got three hungry kits to feed." Her eyes grew distant. "I'd like some kits of my own, some day."

"You've got a few moons before you'll have to be worrying about that," Shadowleaf pointed out. "For now, the two of you can go hunt. We'll meet you back at the camp and see how much you've caught."

"Yes, Shadowleaf!" the two apprentices chorused. A moment later, they turned and dashed into the forest.

"They'll scare off all the prey," Silvertail commented, rolling her eyes.

"Be gentle with them," Shadowleaf murmured. "They're only apprentices."

"I know," Silvertail soothed him. "I was only joking."

Shadowleaf smiled, and licked her shoulder. "All these kits, coming all at once." He shook his head. "It's hard enough to imagine Poolpaw as a warrior, let alone a queen."

Silvertail laughed, a bit nervously. "Me neither. Poolpaw's so gentle, it's hard to imagine her as a fierce warrior like you."

Shadowleaf growled playfully. "I'll show you fierce!"

He leaped at her, knocking her over. She gasped in surprise, and then lashed out with her hind legs, scraping at his underbelly. He reared away, and she quickly got to her feet, and then leaped at him, pinning him down.

His eyes flashed mischeviously, and then his hind legs flew out powerfully, sending her flying away. She hit the ground and skidded a little.

For a moment, she lay winded, trying to catch her breath. Then, she remembered the kits, and she lay there, frozen. What if they had been hurt in the scuffle?

"Silvertail, you okay?" Shadowleaf called. When she didn't respond, he came over, worried. "Silvertail?"

"I'm okay," she whispered. "Fine." She slowly sat up, with Shadowleaf supporting her. "I'm okay, really," she assured him. She quickly licked her fur back into place.

Shadowleaf looked doubtful. "Are you sure? Why didn't you get up?"

She looked down at her paws. Was now the right time? Should she tell him?

Finally, she took a deep breath, and then spoke. "What you were saying… About kits. Would you want kits?"

He frowned. "What does that have to do with…?"

"Just answer the question," she said quietly.

He hesitated. "I… I suppose. I haven't really thought about it, but…"

"But you would want them?" she pressed, beginning to feel a little bit of hope inside her. If Shadowleaf at least wanted the kits, maybe that would make everything a little better.

"I… Yes." He stared at her, frowning. "I still don't see what that has to do with anything."

She swallowed. "Shadowleaf, I… I'm expecting kits."

He stared at her, blinking slowly. "What?"

"I'm pregnant," she told him.

He stared at her for a moment or two, and anxiety tugged at her heart. Then, his face split into a wide grin. "Silvertail, that's wonderful!"

She blinked. "It is?"

"Yes!" He licked her ear happily. "We're going to be parents!"

She suddenly could picture it: Shadowleaf standing over her, with small, wiggling kits at her side, mewling and wailing.

She smiled. Maybe it would be okay.

"Aren't you happy?" Shadowleaf asked her, jolting her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him, still smiling. "Yes, I am," she murmured. "I didn't know if you would even want them…"

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed. "These kits will be a part of me, and a part of you." He licked her cheek, purring. "This is wonderful."

She purred back, nuzzling him. "It is," she murmured.

"I love you, Silvertail," he murmured, staring into her eyes.

She felt her heart melt as she looked back into his liquid gold eyes. "I love you too," she whispered.

Everything was going to be all right.

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**A/N: There you go! See, everything's fine with Shadowleaf and Silvertail. :) Anyway, I'll make sure to actually post on time next week. In the meantime, review!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	17. Chapter 16: Hiding

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Veeeeerrrryyy late. Sorry I made you guys wait so long, but I'm busy with school, and updating has just completely slipped my mind. :P I'll try to be more frequent from now on, so you don't have to wait forever. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!  


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**Chapter 16: Hiding**

Tanglepath lay in the sun, half asleep. Across from him, Smokefoot was chatting happily about something, but Tanglepath wasn't listening. He was reliving the night before, with Wishsong. After that night, and the words they'd shared, it didn't matter that they were breaking the warrior code, or that Silvertail was still shooting him dirty looks, like she knew his secret.

"Oh, hey, Silvertail's back!" Smokefoot said, startling Tanglepath out of his thoughts. "I wouldn't say it to her face, but she's been getting bigger lately. I'd ask her about it, but I don't want to get my face clawed off."

Tanglepath opened one eye. Sure enough, Silvertail and Shadowleaf had just pushed through the camp entrance. They made their way over where Ravenpaw and Poolpaw were emerging from the nursery. They shared a few words with the apprentices, and then headed toward Stormstar's den.

Tanglepath pricked his ears with interest, wondering what they had to tell Stormstar. They'd only been training, but maybe they'd found something.

"Wonder what they're talking about," Smokefoot said slowly.

Tanglepath sighed. "No, Smokefoot, I will not go with you to spy on them."

Smokefoot's face fell. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

Tanglepath rolled his eyes. "You, Featherstorm, and Silvertail are all the same. All you ever want to do is spy and eavesdrop. One of these days, you're going to hear something that you don't want to hear, or see something that you don't want to see, and it's going to get you in trouble."

"Well, it hasn't happened yet," Smokefoot said adamantly. "So, if you don't mind…" He quickly finished off the blackbird at his paws, and then hurried toward Stormstar's den.

Shaking his head, Tanglepath closed his eyes again and stretched. The sun warmed his pelt. Newleaf was finally here, and the prey was running well again.

He had just started to drift off to sleep when Stormstar's call split the calm air.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beside the Widestream for a clan meeting!"

Tanglepath yawned irritably, then heaved himself to his paws and made his way over to the Widestream. A moment later, Smokefoot appeared and sat down next to him. "What did I miss?" he whispered in Tanglepath's ear.

"Nothing." Tanglepath shot his brother a glance. "Did you hear anything?"

Smokefoot snickered. "I knew it. I was right. You want to know as much as I do."

Tanglepath opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but he was cut off as Stormstar began to speak.

"Silvertail and Shadowleaf have shared some very important information with me today," the NorthClan leader announced. "Silvertail is expecting kits!"

Mews of congratulations came up from the gathered cats. Mistypool licked her daughter's ear, purring. "You're going to make me a grandmother so soon?"

Silvertail blushed.

"You called us here just to tell us that?" Topazfur called irritably from the back of the group. "I could've still been napping!"

"That's not all," Stormstar corrected the golden warrior. "As you all know, Silvertail has been mentoring Ravenpaw for these past moons. While she is in the nursery, another cat will need to take on Ravenpaw's training. I asked Shadowleaf to do it, but he wants to focus completely on Poolpaw for the rest of her training, and so I have selected another cat for the job."

His eyes scanned the group, finally landing on Tanglepath. "Once Silvertail moves to the nursery, I will use the official ceremony, but for now… Tanglepath, you will finish Ravenpaw's training."

Tanglepath's eyes widened and he felt the eyes of all the cats turn to him.

"M-me?" he whispered

Stormstar didn't seem to hear him. "However," he went on, "there is still a moon or two before Silvertail will have to move to the nursery. Until then, Tanglepath will accompany Silvertail and Shadowleaf on as many training sessions as possible, so that he can learn how Silvertail trains Ravenpaw. Stripefur, you may want to take that into consideration when planning the patrols."

Stripefur dipped his head. "Very well, Stormstar."

"That's all for now," Stormstar finished. He leaped off the island in the Widestream, and hurried off for his den.

"Let's go see Silvertail!" Smokefoot suggested. Tanglepath nodded, and the two warriors weaved their way in between the other cats.

Tanglepath pressed his flank to Silvertail's. She jumped in surprise, and then turned to face him, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, Tanglepath, it's only you."

"Congratulations," he murmured. "Kits. That's great."

She looked down at her paws. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, but it was hard. He missed the companionship of their friendship, and it hurt that she hadn't chosen to share such important information with him.

She fixed him with a look, and he was surprised at the coldness in her eyes.

"Let's go for a walk," she said slowly.

He frowned. "Uh… Okay."

Silvertail pressed her nose to Shadowleaf's as they passed, murmuring a few quiet words to the black furred tom. When she had finished, she led the way to the camp entrance. Tanglepath followed slowly.

She led the way out and then through the forest. Suddenly, she whipped around to face him, her face and eyes furious. Tanglepath nearly ran into her, and flinched at the anger in her expression.

"How could you?" she hissed. "After everything she's done, how could you?"

He blinked. "Silvertail, what are you talking about?"

"Wishsong!" Silvertail snapped. "You're meeting her!"

"What?" He stared at her in shock. He had no idea what to say.

"Don't even try to deny it!" Silvertail snapped. "How could you meet her, after everything she did to you? She's the reason you had to stay in the medicine den for so long! She's the reason you don't have an apprentice!"

He flinched. He hadn't told anyone about how jealous he was of Silvertail and Shadowleaf. They were both young warriors, as was Tanglepath, yet they both had apprentices, and he didn't. He'd barely even voiced the jealousy to himself.

"See?" Silvertail hissed. "You don't even try to deny it!"

"I'm not meeting her!" Tanglepath snapped back. Suddenly, every hair on his pelt was standing on end. Why couldn't Silvertail just trust him? He knew what he was doing!

Silvertail snorted. "That's a lie! I overheard she and Coalfur talking at the Gathering, and I _know_ that you two have been meeting again. Don't try to deny it, because I know it's true!"

"You say that I can't trust anything she says, yet you yourself believe it!" Tanglepath exclaimed in frustration. "Why don't you try taking your own advice before you shove it down my throat?"

The silver she-cat lashed her tail in anger. "Liar," she growled. "What's wrong with you, Tanglepath? Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying!" he snapped, trying to sound indignant. "I wouldn't meet her, even if she got down on the ground and begged. Even if SkyClan themselves came down to me and commanded me to go, I wouldn't!"

Silvertail's claws dug into the ground. "I wish I could believe you," she said quietly, angrily.

"You can!" he exclaimed desperately. "Silvertail, please! I'm not lying. Can we just forget that this ever happened and go back to the way things used to be?"

She met his eyes sadly. "No, Tanglepath, we can't."

Tanglepath watched with wide, distressed eyes, unable to do anything as she walked away, tail dragging in the dust.

* * *

Silvertail walked miserably into camp. She ignored Emberheart's call of congratulations on the kits as she headed for the warriors' den. She lay down in her nest, tucking her tail over her nose and wishing for sleep.

Another pelt brushed against hers, and she opened her eyes, head jolting up. She winced as her head hit the other cat's, and then sighed in relief when she saw who it was. "Oh, Shadowleaf, it's only you."

The black tom's eyes were dark and concerned. "Are you okay? I saw you come in. Did you fight with Tanglepath?"

She sighed. "I… Yes, we had a fight."

Shadowleaf slowly lay down next to her. "About what?"

Silvertail hesitated. Though she knew what Tanglepath was doing was wrong, she couldn't help but feel reluctant to tell Shadowleaf about what she had found out. "I…"

Shadowleaf gently licked her ear. "Don't worry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She pressed her face into his fur. "Thank you," she whispered.

He started to draw his tongue over her fur, grooming it back into place. "For what?"

"For being here," she murmured, pressing closer to him. She hesitated, and then said, "I'm scared."

She could practically feel him frown. "Why?"

"The kits," she whispered. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother. I'm barely more than an apprentice. I haven't been a warrior for that long. What if I end up being a terrible mother, and our kits end up being savage rogues with no respect for the warrior code?"

Shadowleaf sighed. "That's what you're worried about? Oh, Silvertail, you don't have to worry about that. Our kits will be wonderful."

She looked up at him. "You think so?"

"I promise," he murmured. He touched his nose to hers. "Now sleep. You need to be as rested as possible."

She nodded, and within moments, she had fallen asleep.

She dreamed that three small faces were staring up at her. One dark gray with blue eyes, one white with topaz eyes, and the third black with blue eyes.

Those eyes gently lulled her into a silent, dreamless state, and when she woke, she felt more rested than she had in moons.

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**A/N: Seems like this chapter was longer when I wrote it all those months ago... Oh well. Hope you liked it. Leave me a review! :D  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	18. Chapter 17: What We Should Do

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Not as much lateness this time! :D Hooray! Anyway, there are only a few chapters left after this one. Three chapters and the epilogue. :O! I guess I should start working quicker on Book 3 if I don't wanna lose all my readers.**

**Anyway, enjoy the semi-on-time chapter!  
**

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**Chapter 17: What We Should Do**

Tanglepath walked along silently with Shadowleaf, Silvertail, and the apprentices. It had only been a day since he and Silvertail had fought, and the air was so thick with tension that he felt that if he unsheathed his claws, he would be able to cut right through it.

Silvertail refused to speak to him, and Shadowleaf kept shooting him uncomfortable glances. Only the apprentices seemed immune to the tension between Silvertail and Tanglepath. Ravenpaw in particular seemed more than willing to be with his new mentor.

They were trekking along the AmberClan border, heading toward Four-place. Tanglepath could feel Silvertail's anger growing stronger with every step they took toward LightningClan territory, and he knew why. He couldn't help feeling a bit of hope that they would see Wishsong, but at the same time, he hoped that they wouldn't.

"I smell LightningClan!" Poolpaw announced suddenly, breaking the silence. Her eyes were wide, and her jaws were parted slightly to drink in the air. She looked over frantically at Shadowleaf. "We shouldn't smell them already, should we?"

"No," Shadowleaf growled. "Something is wrong. Poolpaw, Ravenpaw, Tanglepath, come with me. Silvertail, go back to camp and get reinforcements."

Silvertail's eyes flashed indignantly. "Why do I have to go? You might need me. Besides, Ravenpaw is faster than me, send him!"

"I know he is," Shadowleaf assured her, turning to touch his nose to hers. "But if LightningClan is looking for a fight, I don't want you involved. Not with the kits."

Ravenpaw made a face at Poolpaw behind Shadowleaf's back, sticking out his tongue in disgust at the romantic moment between the two warriors. Silvertail noticed and shot him a sharp glance.

"Stop that," she snapped, and then looked back at Shadowleaf. "Alright, alright, I'll go. Just make sure you watch your back."

"I will," he promised. He touched his nose to hers once more, and then flicked his tail as he turned around, a gesture for Tanglepath and the apprentices to follow.

They dashed through the forest at a breakneck speed. With every fox-length, the LightningClan scent in the air grew stronger. Tanglepath felt worry gnaw at his stomach. He didn't want to fight with LightningClan so soon after seeing Wishsong, but he knew that he didn't have a choice. The scent of Foxstar drifted to him, and he felt his blood run cold. If Foxstar was with them, there was sure to be a fight.

They burst out of the undergrowth, skidding to a stop. Tanglepath's eyes flicked around the clearing. A patrol of LightningClan warriors were standing just inside the border between Four-place and NorthClan territory. Their eyes glinted with the light of the sun.

"So Stormstar no longer deems it necessary to fight in his own battles?" Foxstar's voice was taunting as she paced back and forth in front of her line of warriors. "It seems that he sends only apprentices and their weakling mentors." She shot a sneer at Tanglepath. "And cats with no Clan blood at all."

Tanglepath felt a stab of anger. It had been a long time since any cat had criticized him for his non-Clan heritage. He had earned his place in the Clan many times over. How dare Foxstar bring that up now?

"Is that what you're looking for?" Shadowleaf growled at Foxstar. "A battle? Because you're more than welcome to one."

Foxstar smirked. "You hope to defeat a whole patrol of my warriors, when all you have are two apprentices and a warrior and a half?"

"You've only got three warriors with you," Shadowleaf shot back. "We aren't outnumbered."

Foxstar shook her head. "The typical NorthClan arrogance," she tsked, and then looked over in the direction of the open LightningClan territory. "LightningClan, to me!"

Tanglepath's eyes widened as four more LightningClan warriors stepped out from the forest undergrowth. His eyes skimmed over the black, brown, and golden pelts, his blood freezing over when his eyes landed on a white and ginger she-cat.

Bright green eyes widened at him desperately. _'I don't want to fight you!'_ they seemed to shout.

He dug his claws into the ground. He couldn't leave now. He _had_ to fight. NorthClan needed him.

Next to him, Ravenpaw and Poolpaw shifted backwards uncomfortably, obviously frightened by the number of LightningClan warriors they were faced with. Shadowleaf took a protective step closer to his apprentice, his topaz eyes glinting with anger.

"I'll give you one more chance, Foxstar," he growled. "Leave now, or we'll rip your warriors to shreds."

Foxstar laughed. "NorthClan. The only thing you're good for is laughs." She sobered immediately, her blue eyes darkening. "LightningClan, attack."

The warriors leaped forward. Tanglepath immediately found himself being attacked from front and behind by two of the younger warriors, who he recognized as Songfire, a she-cat, and Coalfur, Wishsong's brother.

Desperation crept up inside him. He knew that Wishsong was as close to Coalfur as he was to Silvertail. Or at least, as close as he had been to her before their fight. By hurting Coalfur, he would be hurting Wishsong, something he never wanted to do.

But when Coalfur jumped on his back from behind, everything changed. Tanglepath fought him as he would any other attacker, surging upwards and sending Coalfur flying off. The gray and black tom landed with a heavy thud, but Tanglepath ignored it and whirled around to face Songfire.

The golden she-cat hissed. "You'll pay for hurting Coalfur!"

Tanglepath was momentarily stunned in his surprise at the she-cat's statement. Was something going on between Songfire and Coalfur?

He didn't have any more time to think about it, because the LightningClan warrior lashed out at him with claws unsheathed. He reared back as her claws stung his face, scratching over his ear and eye. He hissed in pain, and then leaped forward, bowling the other warrior over and sending them rolling through the clearing. Finally they came to a stop. Songfire continued to roll, banging into a tree and lying there, unconscious.

Tanglepath got to his paws, breathing hard. He tried to catch his breath, but suddenly something slammed into his side hard and he went rolling into the forest.

He ended up on his back, staring up at the angry gray and black face of Coalfur.

"First you steal my sister from me," Coalfur snarled. "You hurt her, twist her, manipulate her, until she can't remember who she is and she can't live without you! Then you turn her away, only to come back? What kind of monster are you?"

Tanglepath stared up at Coalfur in shock and disbelief. Was that really what the LightningClan warrior thought about him?

As if in response, Coalfur bared his teeth, unsheathed his claws, and leaned down, ready to rip out Tanglepath's throat.

"Coalfur, stop!"

The LightningClan warrior froze, and looked up. Tanglepath relaxed, and looked over to see Wishsong standing not far away, her eyes wide with fear.

"Wishsong," Coalfur breathed. "Can't you see what this wannabe warrior has done to you? He's hurt you, over and over, and then he—"

"He loves me!" Wishsong interrupted angrily. "And that's enough for me!"

Coalfur stared in disbelief. "Wishsong, I…"

"Go back to the battle, Coalfur," Wishsong snapped. "We'll talk about this later."

Coalfur slowly backed away, clambering off of Tanglepath. He shot his sister one more desperate look, and then hurried back to the battle.

Wishsong rushed over to Tanglepath, frantically nuzzling him. "Are you all right? He didn't hurt you, did he? Oh, I'll have his tail if he did! I'll rip his fur off and feed him to Foxstar!"

Tanglepath couldn't help an amused purr, gently licking Wishsong's ear. "I'm fine," he assured her. "He didn't hurt me. I'm just a little winded. Are _you_ okay?"

"Fine," she murmured. "But Tanglepath…" She trailed off, eyes widening in distress. "We can't let this keep happening! When someone comes up to me, telling me that Foxstar wants me for a battle with NorthClan, I shouldn't be afraid that you'll be there. Tanglepath, this is horrible! If some cat sees us, we'll be exposed, and then it'll all be over! All of it!"

Worry clenched Tanglepath's heart. Wishsong was right. If this happened again, some cat was sure to realize that something was wrong with how Tanglepath always avoided the ginger-and-white she-cat.

"And it's not just battles that's the problem," Wishsong whispered. "I'm tired of having to hide from the world. I'm tired of sneaking out and jumping at every little rustle. I don't want to have to keep this a secret anymore."

Tanglepath stared at her. "I'm tired of it, too, Wishsong, but what can we do? We can't exactly just go up to our Clanmates and say, 'Oh, hey, I've been meeting a warrior from another Clan in secret, just thought I'd let you know. How's the prey running?'"

Wishsong sighed. "I know, I know. And I've been thinking about it a lot since our last meeting. Tanglepath, there's only one thing we can do."

He blinked. "What?"

"Leave," she whispered.

His eyes widened. "Wha—leave? You must be joking! Where would we go?"

"Away," she said simply.

"But _where_?" he emphasized. "We… we can't just… leave. You don't mean leave the _Clans_, do you?"

She looked away.

"Wishsong, we can't!" he gasped. "I… We could join another Clan. We can't just… just leave!"

"You think that NorthClan would accept me?" she shouted. "Or TreeClan? And you couldn't come to LightningClan. We _have_ to leave."

He stared at her. "There is one Clan that has been mostly untouched by Foxstar. One that has always been NorthClan's ally. They would accept us both."

Wishsong stared at him for a long time before speaking. "You mean AmberClan."

"Yes." He nodded. "Wishsong, I don't want to lose you, but I _can't_ give up Clan life. It may not be Clan blood that flows through my veins, but I can't stop being a warrior. Somehow I know, it's my destiny to be a warrior, even if I'm not Clanborn."

Wishsong hesitated. "Tanglepath… Do you really think that AmberClan would accept us? Even though our relationship is forbidden by the warrior code?"

"Smallstar and Hawkwing are very fair," he assured her. "They would accept us without question, I'm sure of it."

She sighed. "I… Alright, then, Tanglepath. I'll go to AmberClan."

"And so will I," he whispered. He stepped closer and rested his head on top of hers. "We'll never be apart again. Never."

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**A/N: D'awww, isn't that just cute. So aaaanyways, if you liked it, leave a review. If you hated it, still leave a review. If you've been reading this story since I first posted it and you've been lurking back there not saying anything, leave a review. All reviews are welcome. Obsessive praise, fangirlism, concrit... I'll even accept flames. They will, of course be laughed at. So go ahead and shoot your flames at me. Have fun with it!  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	19. Chapter 18: The Truth Comes Out

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Laaaate. Oh well. Tanglepath's got a secret to reveal... Hope you enjoy!  


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**Chapter 18: The Truth Comes Out**

"Stormstar?" Tanglepath called quietly from the entrance to the leader's den.

"Come in," he heard the NorthClan leader call from inside.

He stepped forward through the fern fronds that hid the leader's den from view. Inside, Stormstar was lying in his nest, looking tired and worn out. "Tanglepath," he greeted wearily. "Come in, sit down."

Tanglepath walked forward slowly, sitting down directly facing his leader. "Are you all right?" he asked the NorthClan leader anxiously.

Stormstar sighed. "I'm fine. It's just all this trouble with Foxstar. I thought maybe we could stop her, maybe convince her to apologize for what she's done and get her to see that it was wrong, but…" He dug his claws into the soft moss of his bedding. "We lost that battle a week ago. You know the one."

Tanglepath nodded. He remembered, though it was for a different reason than most of the Clan. The battle a week ago had involved most members of both NorthClan and LightningClan. Stripefur couldn't leave the camp with a twisted paw. One of Stormstar's nine lives had been taken. But Tanglepath remembered the battle for different reasons. That had been the battle in which he had fought with Coalfur, and he and Wishsong had agreed to go to AmberClan.

"What about it?" he asked Stormstar.

The NorthClan leader closed his eyes. "I have five lives left, now, Tanglepath. Most of the Clan knows this. They also know that I would give all five of them if it meant that Foxstar would leave us alone. But that would never work. It isn't my life that Foxstar wants. It's all of ours."

Tanglepath tipped his head to one side. "Why does she hate NorthClan so much?"

"If I could explain that, we wouldn't have a problem. If I knew, I would be able to talk to Foxstar and make her see reason. But I don't. And neither does any other cat." Stormstar opened his eyes. "But you didn't come here to hear an old cat rattle on about matters that are for deputy ears. Did you want something from me?"

Tanglepath shuffled his paws uncomfortably. "Well… It's about Ravenpaw."

"He's not giving you trouble already, is he?" Stormstar asked, chuckling. "You haven't even taken over as his actual mentor yet!"

"Well, that's just the thing," Tanglepath said hesitantly. "I don't think I should be Ravenpaw's mentor."

Stormstar stared at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"Well…" Tanglepath trailed off. "I just don't think that our personalities match the right way. I don't think I could teach him to the best of my ability. Maybe I should wait until there's another kit that needs a mentor."

Stormstar frowned. "Tanglepath, I chose you as Ravenpaw's surrogate mentor because I thought that you would be able to channel my son's energy into something productive. Silvertail can do that quite well, and I thought maybe you could do the same. Your personalities match perfectly."

Tanglepath looked down at his paws, feeling guilty. When he'd agreed to go with Wishsong to AmberClan, he hadn't thought about all the cats he would be letting down. He'd forgotten about Ravenpaw, and how he was supposed to take over for Silvertail.

"I'm sorry, Stormstar," Tanglepath apologized quietly. "I'm not criticizing your decision. I just don't think I'm ready for an apprentice just yet. Maybe the next set of kits. Jewelfoot's or Silvertail's maybe."

Stormstar stared at Tanglepath for a long time, his blue eyes boring holes in Tanglepath's skull. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything?"

Tanglepath shuffled his paws, the guilt rising again. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stormstar."

The NorthClan leader gave one of his paws a lick, looking thoughtful. "Very well, then, Tanglepath. I'll have Sunstripe take over for you. He's an experienced warrior, and he's trained several apprentices. He'll do well with Ravenpaw."

"Thank you, Stormstar." Tanglepath dipped his head to the leader, and then backed out of the den slowly.

As soon as he had left, he felt the guilt rise inside him again. Why hadn't he thought of the consequences before he'd agreed to leave with Wishsong? He doubted that it would have changed his decision, but at least he would have been able to think about everything before he agreed.

He sighed, heading for the warriors' den. He could feel Silvertail's eyes on him, and he knew that she would be the next one he would have to talk to. He'd already made up his mind: he was going to tell her the truth. That he _had_ been meeting Wishsong, and that he was going to AmberClan with her so that they wouldn't have to be apart. When he considered how he was leaving Silvertail, letting her and Stormstar and Ravenpaw down, his decision didn't seem so wise.

He slowly trailed into the warriors' den, lying down. He would have plenty of time to speak with Silvertail later. Stripefur had ordered them to go on the sunset patrol together that night.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set as Silvertail sat at the camp entrance. She wasn't looking forward to her patrol with Tanglepath at all, but she didn't have a choice. She'd tried to talk Stripefur into letting her take Shadowleaf or Ravenpaw with them, but he'd just given her a knowing look and said, "Oh, no, I don't think so. I know what you're up to. I know that you and Tanglepath have been fighting, and this will be the perfect solution."

Now she sighed. Maybe Stripefur was right. She could remember when she and Tanglepath had been apprentices. They had been fighting then, as well, and Stripefur had sent them on a hunting patrol together. They had made up afterwards. But Silvertail didn't think that a patrol was going to solve this fight. Nothing would, until Tanglepath admitted that he was seeing Wishsong, or when he stopped seeing her.

She finally saw her tabby adoptive brother push his way out of the warriors' den, approaching her slowly and looking apprehensive.

"Tanglepath," she greeted him coolly.

He dipped his head. "Silvertail," he murmured. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she answered in a clipped tone. "Shall we take the TreeClan border first?"

"Maybe AmberClan would be better," Tanglepath ventured, looking unsure of whether or not he was treading on thin ice by disagreeing with her. "After all, Foxstar led her warriors through their territory for the battle where Dawnfire died."

Silvertail couldn't help feeling a pang, both at the remembrance of the beloved deputy's death, and at how far apart she and Tanglepath had grown. There was a time when Tanglepath wouldn't have hesitated to disagree with her. Now, however, things had changed.

"Very well," she said quietly. "We'll go along the AmberClan border first, then."

She turned and led the way out of the camp, flicking her tail for him to follow. She dipped her head to Twilightsky, who had just come out to stand guard at the camp entrance. He nodded in response, and then she led Tanglepath away, towards AmberClan territory.

As they approached their ally Clan's territory, Silvertail could sense that Tanglepath was slowing. She wondered at first if his old shoulder wound was bugging him, but he hadn't complained about that in a long time. No, when she slowed to keep pace with him, he slowed even further, until they were moving at a brisk walk. Finally, he stopped altogether and said, quietly, "Silvertail, we need to talk."

She stopped as well and turned to face him. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes there is," he murmured. "Silvertail, I… I know that you won't forgive me unless I admit this. You're too proud for your own good sometimes, but… You were right. I am meeting Wishsong. We've been meeting at Four-place."

Silvertail felt her heart sink. She'd half-hoped that Tanglepath's denial of her accusations were caused by actual indignation at the fact that she'd even considered that he had been meeting the LightningClan warrior. But now he'd admitted it. He _had_ been meeting Wishsong all along.

"And the battle a week ago?" she murmured. "When you disappeared after fighting with Coalfur and Songfire?"

"Coalfur came back and knocked me into the forest," Tanglepath answered. "He was about to kill me, but Wishsong… Wishsong saved me. She sent Coalfur back to the battle, and then we talked." He hesitated. "She said… She said that we should leave."

Silvertail stared at him blankly. "'Leave'?" she echoed. "What do you mean 'leave'?"

He looked down at his paws. "I mean leave our Clans."

She blinked. "But… You said no, right?"

He looked away guiltily.

Her eyes widened. "Tanglepath, you didn't!"

"We're not leaving forever!" he exclaimed desperately, looking back at her. "We're staying in the Clans. Well, if AmberClan will take us."

"You're going to _AmberClan_?" Silvertail stared at him incredulously. "You honestly think that leaving NorthClan is going to solve anything?"

"We're doing it because it's the only way that our relationship will be accepted," Tanglepath mumbled. "I don't want to leave you or Smokefoot or Featherstorm. But Wishsong is my mate. I love her more than anything else in all the Clans, even my own life. I would give up anything for her."

"She's an enemy warrior!" Silvertail tried. She knew that the old argument wouldn't dissuade Tanglepath now, after he had made up his mind to leave his Clan and go to another with his forbidden mate, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Silvertail, I've made up my mind," her brother said quietly. "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving."

Pain clawed up in Silvertail's chest. She couldn't bear the thought of being without her brother. "But… Ravenpaw. He needs you. You're going to be his mentor."

"Stormstar's already arranged for Sunstripe to take over instead of me," Tanglepath murmured. "He doesn't know _why_ I asked him to do that, but he did it anyway."

"My kits!" she exclaimed, desperate to find anything that would keep him here. "I want you to be there, when they're born. Please, Tanglepath!"

He looked away. "I can't, Silvertail. Wishsong and I have already decided. We're going to AmberClan, no matter what." He looked back at her. "But no matter what Clan I'm in, I'll always be your brother."

Silvertail was brought back to a conversation, a long time ago when they had all be apprentices and Tanglepath had just found out that Mistypool and Moonshadow weren't his parents. Silvertail, Smokefoot, and Featherstorm had promised that they would always be his siblings, no matter what. Nothing could separate them.

None of them had anticipated anything like this.

She took a few steps forward, pressing her nose into Tanglepath's fur. "Don't go," she mumbled pathetically. "We need you here. The Clan needs you here. _I_ need you here."

He pressed his nose to the top of her head. "And Wishsong will need me in AmberClan. She's going with or without me, and I can't let her go alone."

Pain clawed at her insides again. "I'll miss you," she whispered, raising her head to stare into his green eyes.

"I'll miss you, too," he whispered. "I'll look for you on border patrols, and you make sure someone tells me about the kits when they come."

"I will." She sniffled. "Where will you go if AmberClan doesn't accept you?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "But I'm sure they will."

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and then Silvertail whispered, "I'll always be your sister. Blood doesn't matter. Loyalty does."

He blinked slowly. "I said that."

She nodded. "And as long as we're loyal to each other, we'll always be siblings."

He blinked again, this time in appreciation. "Thank you, Silvertail. Now come on. Let's finish this patrol. I'm leaving tomorrow, so let's get one last patrol together."

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**A/N: Only two more chapters left, then the epilogue, and then it's done! :O So close! Hope you're enjoying. Lurkers should leave reviews, they'll make me happy.  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	20. Chapter 19: Changes

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Next chapter will be the last one before the epilogue. Hope you enjoy.  


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**Chapter 19: Changes**

It was sunhigh. Tanglepath had politely requested upon his return from the patrol with Silvertail the night before to be assigned to a solo hunting patrol. He'd ignored the curious look that Stripefur had given him, and dipped his head gratefully when the deputy accepted.

Now it was time to go. He and Silvertail had returned to camp late last night after exploring all of their favorite places on the territory one last time together. He had explained to Ravenpaw that Sunstripe would be his mentor instead of Tanglepath himself. All that was left to do was leave.

He headed for the camp entrance, carrying his head high. All around him, the Clan went about their usual business, having no clue that they were about to lose one of their warriors. Poolpaw and Ravenpaw were scuffling playfully outside the apprentices' den. Twilightsky stood proudly by Jewelfoot and Rosetail, who were watching Twilightsky and Jewelfoot's young kits get their first glimpse of Clan life. Everything went on as usual as Tanglepath prepared to go.

Sentimentality and pain rose up inside him. Could he really leave these cats now? With the threat of Foxstar and LightningClan looming over their heads, they needed all the warriors they could get. And he'd made real friends here. It was hard to leave.

But then he remembered Wishsong, who would be waiting for him at Four-place the next day, and his spirits lifted a little.

Silvertail was standing at the camp entrance, sorrow and longing in her eyes. He approached her slowly. It was strange how the separation that was coming had brought them closer, he thought.

He stopped in front of her. They both looked into each others' eyes for a moment, and then Silvertail whispered, "I'll miss you."

Pain clutched his heart at the thought of leaving his sister. "I know," he whispered. "But I have to go. We both know that."

She nodded slowly. "Yes. We do." She pressed her nose to his. "Go," she whispered. "Before I have time to persuade you to stop."

He closed his eyes, drinking in her scent one last time. "Goodbye," he whispered, careful to keep his voice low so that none of the other warriors could hear what they were saying.

"Goodbye," she echoed.

He drew away, but paused at the camp entrance. He turned his head to look back at the Clan once more. Ravenpaw had Poolpaw pinned, but his sister seemed to be doing a wonderful job of getting away. Jewelfoot had pulled two of her kits out of the warriors' den and was scolding them loudly. The third kit was sitting smugly off to the side, by her father, giving her brother and sister a look that clearly said, _'I told you so.'_

He swallowed painfully, and opened his mouth just the tiniest bit to draw in their scent for the last time. In that scent, he could make out the faint traces of every cat in the Clan. Stormstar was in there, Stripefur too. And Lillypelt. And Sunstripe, Emberheart, Twilightsky, and all the other warriors. Ravenpaw and Poolpaw. Jewelfoot and her kits. Rosetail and the scent of milk that hung around her.

But most painful of all were the scents of the cats who had become his family here, whether he was Clanborn or not. There was Moonshadow and Mistypool, who were sharing a midday thrush by the Widestream. And there was Smokefoot, who was speaking quietly, and a bit shyly, to Poolpaw, a bit of a red tinge in his ears. And there was Featherstorm, who was carefully doling out herbs to Stripefur for his twisted paw. And last, but never least, there was Silvertail, who still stood in her same place, watching him with pain in her eyes and a desperate plea for him to stay.

But he couldn't. He had stayed for too long. He would hunt, rest up, and then meet Wishsong at Four-place at midnight as they had planned. It was time to go.

So he turned away, turning his back on all the cats who had become his family and friends and rivals. He closed his eyes and blocked out the sounds of their voices, wishing he could close his nose as well to stop their scent from calling him back.

Finally, he summoned up all his strength, and then plunged through the camp entrance.

* * *

The rest of the day tried Silvertail's acting skills to their limits. It wasn't easy to pretend that everything was okay. She took Ravenpaw out for a quick hunting session later in the day. It would be their last, she'd found out upon their return. Stormstar was naming Sunstripe as Ravenpaw's mentor that evening at sunset, and Silvertail would be sleeping in the nursery that night.

She'd tried all day to keep her spirits up, particularly around Ravenpaw. He'd grown into a fine young cat, she realized proudly from her spot by the Widestream with Shadowleaf as they shared an evening meal. Her apprentice had grown into a kind, caring, and compassionate young tom. Some lucky she-cat would eagerly snap him up one day. She couldn't help feeling proud as she watched him slip into the elders' den with two mice and a sparrow for the elders to share.

"You've done a wonderful job with him." Shadowleaf's voice broke into her thoughts. "He's going to be a great warrior."

She looked up at him appreciatively. "Thank you," she murmured. "You've done great with Poolpaw, too. They'll both be wonderful warriors."

"They will be," Shadowleaf agreed. "They both have compassion, but they're strong as well. They know when fighting is right, and when it's wrong. They've dealt with grief firsthand, and they'll do anything to protect their Clanmates from feeling that same thing. They'll be wonderful mentors, as well. I've seen them with Jewelfoot's kits. They're already trying to teach them the hunting crouch." He chuckled.

Silvertail nodded silently. She suddenly glimpsed a flash of fur out of the corner of her eye, and she saw Stormstar slip out of his den, Stripefur on his heels, still limping a bit.

The NorthClan leader jumped onto the island in the Widestream, careful not to get his paws wet. Then he turned to face the camp and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Widestream for a Clan meeting!"

Silvertail quickly scarfed down the last few bites of the rabbit she was sharing with Shadowleaf, and then touched her nose to his. "I have to go stand by Ravenpaw and Sunstripe for the ceremony."

He nodded. "Go."

She turned away and headed over to where Sunstripe had already taken a seat. "Good evening, Silvertail," he said in his deep, rumbling voice. He cast her a thoughtful look. "You know, I'll be proud to take over as his mentor. You've done a great job training him. Shadowleaf has done well with Poolpaw, as well. The two of you make for a great team."

She looked down at her paws, slightly embarrassed. "Thank you, Sunstripe," she mumbled. She knew that the big, burly warrior wasn't one for handing out easy compliments.

He nodded, and then Ravenpaw dashed over and sat down between them. "Sorry," he apologized breathlessly. "I had to make sure that Lightstripe, Littlefeather, and Rainshadow got out to see the ceremony." His eyes filled with a slight pain. "Lightstripe is still weak from leaf-bare. I was talking to Featherstorm, and she doesn't think he'll live to see the next one."

Silvertail touched her nose gently to the top of her apprentice's head. "He's lived a long, full life. The Clan will be sorry to see him go, but if SkyClan calls for him, then there's nothing we can do."

Ravenpaw sighed. "I know. But I still wish…" He trailed off.

Silvertail smiled compassionately down at the black-furred tom. There were times when he looked just like Stormstar, despite his amber eyes, and this was one of them.

As if in response to her thoughts, Ravenpaw's father stood up straight on the Widestream island and began to speak. "Cats of NorthClan. You know why we are gathered here. Tonight, Silvertail will be moving into the nursery, and another cat will take over as Ravenpaw's mentor for her. Originally, that cat was supposed to be Tanglepath, but he has requested that another warrior take over instead of him, so Sunstripe will be Ravenpaw's new mentor. Now, this is a ceremony that isn't often used, but I have used it once or twice in my lifetime. So here goes."

He sat down and looked up at the sky, his navy blue eyes glittering in the setting sun. "SkyClan, I call upon you to look down on this mentor. She has worked hard to train her apprentice in the ways of the warrior code, but now has come a time when she is unable to train him any longer. So I ask that you accept this new warrior as his mentor." He looked back down, eyes landing on Silvertail. "Silvertail, from this day forward, you will no longer be Ravenpaw's mentor. NorthClan and SkyClan alike accept you as his one and true mentor, and we thank you for the service you have given us. Sunstripe, from this day until he earns his warrior name, you shall be mentor to Ravenpaw. Pass on everything that you know to him."

Sunstripe dipped his head to the leader, and then turned to Ravenpaw and touched his nose to the young apprentice's. Ravenpaw's amber eyes glittered the same way that Stormstar's had as he leaned forward into the touch. Silvertail was surprised that he didn't have to reach up the way he'd had to when she had been named his mentor, all those moons ago. He had grown.

"Sunstripe! Sunstripe!" the Clan chanted as the apprentice and his new mentor drew apart. Stormstar waved his tail for silence, and the Clan fell silent.

"Silvertail," he said, nodding to her. "You will be sleeping in the nursery tonight. Sunstripe will begin training Ravenpaw tomorrow."

"Yes, Stormstar," she said, dipping her head. "Thank you for finding another mentor for him."

"Of course." Stormstar nodded. "If no one has anything else to say, then you are all dismissed."

The cats slowly started away. A few broke off to finish or start their evening meals. Silvertail went over and sat down next to Shadowleaf, laying down and resting her head on her paws. He looked at her curiously, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

She sighed. "It just feels like I'm losing everything at once," she confessed. He couldn't possibly know why it felt like that, at least not the whole reason, but she knew he would comfort her.

"But you're gaining so much, too," he murmured. "We're going to have kits!"

She licked one of her pads. "Yes, that's true." She opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted as she saw Ravenpaw come over, looking a bit shy.

"Uh, hi," he said quietly.

"Hello, Ravenpaw," she greeted him. "What's going on?"

"Well, uh…" He looked down at his paws. "I just wanted to say thank you. For everything you've done. Everything you've taught me. You did a lot for me. I, uh… I really look up to you." He looked up shyly, smiling a bit.

She smiled back. "I'm proud to have been your mentor. You'll be a wonderful warrior, Ravenpaw. You and Poolpaw both. But it's not like I'm leaving. I'll still be here, I'll just be in the nursery instead of the warriors' den, and I won't be training with you."

"I'll bring you the fattest mouse I can catch, every day," he promised. "And when your kits come, I'll teach them everything I've learned."

"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Maybe you'll have a chance to mentor one of them."

Ravenpaw's face lit up. "Oh, that would be wonderful, Silvertail!" He touched his nose to her cheek. "But… Thank you again, Silvertail. I'll never forget everything you've done for me."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Ravenpaw.

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**A/N: Review?  
**

**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	21. Chapter 20: Leaving for Real

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Last chapter before the epilogue, and it's on time for once! Figures it would take me till the end to get myself on a working schedule. Anyway, this chapter's a little shorter than the past few have been, but I hope you enjoy anyway. :D  


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**Chapter 20: Leaving for Real**

Moonlight turned everything in the clearing a bright, shimmering silver. All was silent as Tanglepath slipped out from the trees and into the clearing. A light breeze stirred the leaves at the tops of the trees and ruffled his fur. He shivered, knowing he would have no familiar den or mossy nest to sleep in that night. All he would have was Wishsong's warm pelt pressed against his.

That is, if she ever arrived. Glancing around the clearing, he couldn't see the white and ginger pelt of the LightningClan she-cat, but that didn't meant she wasn't there.

"Wishsong?" he called gently, hesitant to break the unearthly nighttime silence.

There was no response at first. Not until he noticed a small bush rustling, even though the wind had stilled. A moment later, Wishsong pushed her way out. Tanglepath dashed over to meet her, pulling out some of the twigs and leaves that had twisted and ensnarled themselves in her fur.

"You came," she breathed, nuzzling him gently.

"Of course I did," he murmured reassuringly. "I wouldn't leave you."

"I didn't think you really wanted to go," she mumbled, looking down. "You have so much more to lose. I don't really have any friends. All I have is Coalfur. But you have friends in NorthClan. And family. Smokefoot, Featherstorm… Silvertail. And it's not _your_ Clan that's divided among itself over loyalty to your leader and loyalty to the warrior code."

Tanglepath stared at her, blinking in surprise. "Is that really happening?"

She nodded mutely. "The ones who are loyal to Foxstar say that if we were _really_ loyal to the warrior code, then we would remember that the code says that the leader's word is law. But how can that be the warrior code when so many good, innocent warriors are getting injured or dying?" She closed her eyes. "I have lots of reasons to want to leave, but you're on the top of the list."

He smiled gently. "Wishsong, I could never leave you."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded. "Now let's get some rest. Tomorrow we can hunt, and then wait for an AmberClan patrol to come find us."

"What if a LightningClan patrol finds us first?" Wishsong fretted. "What if they attack us?"

"It won't come to that," he promised. "They won't find us. And even if they did, I would protect you. I swear."

She stared up at him with bright green eyes. "I know you would," she whispered.

He smiled. "Good. Now, let's see if we can't find some moss for a nest, and then we can get some sleep."

She nodded, and they quickly split up. Tanglepath headed back over the NorthClan border, collecting a small ball of moss from the base of a large tree just inside the border. He headed back with the ball in his jaws. Wishsong was waiting for him with a large ball of moss in her jaws, and they worked together to knead the two balls together into a soft, mossy nest.

He lay down, yawning, and she lay down next to him, pressing her body against his. He began to draw his tongue over her fur in long, tired laps, and soon they were sharing tongues quietly under the light of the moon.

Before long, Wishsong's eyes were starting to drift shut. She lay her head down on her paws, sleepily mumbling, "Goodnight, Tanglepath."

"Goodnight, Wishsong," he murmured, still grooming her.

"I love you," she whispered.

His heart skipped a beat at the words. "I love you, too," he whispered back. Before long, her breathing had slowed and her sides rose and fell slowly, her eyes shut.

"I'll always love you," he murmured quietly. Then he sighed and rested his head protectively on her back, and in no time, his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

* * *

Silvertail had trouble sleeping that night. For much of the evening, Jewelfoot's three kits had pestered her with questions about being a warrior.

"Do you have to fight a lot?" Blackkit had asked with wide yellow eyes. It was amazing how much the little tom looked like his father, Twilightsky.

"Of course she does, stupid!" Nightkit had said, rolling her eyes at her brother. "She's a warrior! Warriors are always fighting!"

"Actually," Silvertail had corrected them, "there's more to being a warrior than just fighting. You have to hunt to feed the Clan, as well. And protect the Clan from outside threats."

"How do you do that?" little Graykit had asked, her eyes the widest of them all. The little she-kit was the shiest of the litter, but she'd warmed up to Silvertail quick enough once she'd found out that the silver-furred warrior would be staying with them in the nursery for a while, and that she would have kits of her own.

"By patrolling the borders and chasing off intruders," Silvertail had answered.

"Like LightningClan?" Blackkit had asked, flexing his tiny claws. "I bet you chase them off all the time!"

Silvertail had flashed a glance at Jewelfoot, and their mother had shook her head 'no,' so Silvertail had deflected the question by telling a story about a fox that she and Tanglepath had chased off when they were apprentices. Silently, she agreed with Jewelfoot. There was no need for the kits to be worried about something like that, something that was a warrior matter.

Now, though, the kits had finally gone to sleep, suckling at Jewelfoot's side. Blackkit snored as bad as Smokefoot, and Rosetail kept twitching in her sleep. Besides the auditory distractions, the nest Silvertail was sleeping in was unfamiliar and strange. It felt odd not to have Shadowleaf's back pressed up against hers. She missed him painfully, even though she knew that he was asleep in a den not so far away. She had just lost so much, so soon.

She curled up into a tight ball, letting her tail rest on her nose, and closed her eyes. Sleep was just beginning to take hold of her when the sound of someone slipping into the nursery woke her again.

She raised her head irritably to see Stripefur standing just inside the nursery entrance. He met her eyes silently, and then flicked his tail toward the entrance, gesturing for her to come with her. She tipped her head to one side, but got to her paws and slipped out of the nursery silently, careful not to wake Rosetail or Jewelfoot and the kits.

"What's going on?" Silvertail murmured in a whisper to Stripefur.

Her former mentor looked a little worried. "Have you seen Tanglepath?"

Anxiety clutched her chest. So the Clan had finally noticed her brother's absence.

She hesitated before answering. Sending them down a false trail would buy Tanglepath more time to get to AmberClan. She knew that if she told them the truth, Stormstar would send a patrol of warriors to bring him back. She wanted him back, but she wasn't willing to sacrifice the trust he had placed in her by telling her that he was leaving.

In the end, she settled for halfway. "Not since he left for his hunting patrol this afternoon. Why?"

Stripefur looked uncomfortable. "No one's seen him since then, either. Are you sure you didn't see him at the ceremony?"

"I might have…" she said slowly, trying to sound unsure. "But I don't know."

Stripefur sighed. "Stormstar and I are worried about him. He didn't say anything to you, did he?"

"No." Silvertail hated lying to him. "Like what?"

"I don't know." Stripefur shook his head. "I just thought that maybe… I don't know. It's possible that he just went for a late night stroll, but even that's dangerous. Foxstar has targeted him before, and we need all of our warriors right now."

Silvertail swallowed. "I haven't seen him, Stripefur. I would tell you if I had."

The deputy sighed again. "I know you would, Silvertail. Thanks for the help." He turned away and headed towards Stormstar's den.

Silvertail watched him go until he had disappeared behind the ferns, and then she turned and slowly headed inside the nursery.

Once inside, she curled up into a ball again and began to cry. She had lost him. Tanglepath was gone, forever. It was official.

He was gone.

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**A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, cats can't cry and all that. My story, I'll do what I want. Anyway, if you're a good little reader, you'll leave a review. ;D Stay tuned for the epilogue!  
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**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


	22. Epilogue: An Offer and a Choice

**Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread**

**A/N: Last chapter D; Sadness! That means another chapter of Tanglepath and Silvertail's lives are over, but another will be opening as soon as I finish (or at least get halfway through) Book 3, the title and summary of which will be posted on my profile as soon as I finish writing this A/N and get my butt over there.**

**Anyway, it's time for the POV of one of my favorite OCs: Hawkwing! That's right, the AmberClan deputy will be narrating this epilogue. I thought that, since Pebblestar narrated the prologue of this book, it was only fair that another non-NorthClan cat narrated this one.**

**Enjoy!  
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**Epilogue: An Offer and a Choice**

"Lightjay, Shadefoot! Keep up!" Hawkwing called over her shoulder. The midnight patrol had reported catching mingling LightningClan and NorthClan scent at Four-place. Even though it had pained her to think that their old ally had joined with their enemy, it was her duty as Clan deputy to check it out and make sure that everything was all right.

But until she got there, she was only concerned about making sure that the two lazy warriors she'd dragged out of camp with her were moving fast enough to keep up with her.

"Lightjay! Shadefoot!" she yowled irritably, pausing so that they could catch up. She shook her head, annoyed, when they finally did. "Honestly! You two are the slowest warriors in the Clan. And you make enough noise to scare off all the prey in the forest!"

"At least we're not yelling so loud that the fish can hear us," Lightjay muttered under his breath.

Hawkwing shot him a sharp glance. "Did you say something, Lightjay?"

"Uh…" The black tom looked down at his paws, embarrassed. Shadefoot coughed to cover up a laugh.

"I didn't think so," Hawkwing muttered. She turned back towards Four-place and started off again. When they finally reached it, she paused. "All right, Shadefoot, you go south towards LightningClan. Lightjay, you go north towards NorthClan. I'll head into the clearing and see if there's anything going on that we can't see."

The two warriors nodded, starting off in the directions she had ordered them to go. Once they had disappeared from sight, Hawkwing turned to the ring of bushes, pushing through them and into the clearing.

She froze as she found herself nose to nose with a brown tabby tom. She leaped back defensively, hissing and unsheathing her claws.

"Hawkwing," the tom said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'd hoped that it would be you who found us."

She blinked in surprise, and then realized that she recognized the tom. It was Tanglepath of NorthClan. She knew him through Stripefur, who had been her friend for a long time.

"Tanglepath?" Her blood ran cold. She now had confirmation that NorthClan _had_ been here. And when she parted her jaws slightly and drank in the air, she could catch fresh LightningClan scents, as well. "What are you doing here?" she growled.

Tanglepath dipped his head respectfully to her. "I need to speak with Smallstar."

A flash of anxiety surged through Hawkwing, but she covered it quickly by narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "And why is that?"

Tanglepath shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's complicated—"

"Hawkwing!"

The AmberClan deputy whipped around to see Shadefoot dashing out of the bushes. Lightjay was right on his heels, dragging along a small LightningClan she-cat by the scruff.

"I found her lurking around in the bushes on NorthClan's side of the border and called Shadefoot for help," Lightjay spat. "I knew it! NorthClan has joined Lightning to fight against us!"

"Wishsong!" Tanglepath exclaimed. "Oh, for SkyClan's sake, let her go! She's with me!"

Hawkwing whirled back around to face Tanglepath. "What do you mean, she's with you?"

Tanglepath looked down at his paws. "I…" He glanced up at the LightningClan she-cat, Wishsong, as if asking for permission. The white and ginger she-cat hesitated, and then sighed and nodded.

Tanglepath sat up straighter. "Wishsong and I… we're mates. We've been meeting here secretly for a few moons now. We've decided—" He broke off, his eyes falling on Lightjay and Shadefoot.

Hawkwing flicked her tail irritably. "Anything you can say to me, you can say to my warriors."

Tanglepath sighed. "All right then. We want to join your Clan."

Hawkwing's eyes widened in surprise. "You want to _what_?"

"Join your Clan," Tanglepath repeated. "It's the only way we can ever be accepted." His eyes grew pained and desperate. "Please, Hawkwing. We _have_ to speak to Smallstar."

There it was again, the traitorous anxiety, but she calmed it quickly.

"Why do you have to join _our_ Clan?" Lightjay growled. "Why can't you just join another Clan? Or leave altogether? No Clan wants a couple of traitors in their ranks."

Tanglepath's eyes flashed angrily, and Hawkwing whipped around to glare at her warrior. "Lightjay, that's enough. You will be _silent_."

Lightjay growled quietly to himself, but was otherwise silent.

Hawkwing turned back to Tanglepath. It seemed she had no other choice. "Very well, Tanglepath. I will take you to visit Smallstar, but I can't guarantee that he will agree to let you join the Clan."

Tanglepath nodded in understanding, but hope flashed in his eyes anyway. "Thank you, Hawkwing. You won't regret it."

Lightjay snorted, but Hawkwing silenced him with yet another glare. She turned to Shadefoot, who was still standing nearby Wishsong. "Let her go," Hawkwing ordered. The gray tom dipped his head and stepped away. Wishsong rushed over to Tanglepath, who licked her muzzle soothingly.

"It'll be okay," he murmured.

Hawkwing's heart softened. "Come," she said, flicking her tail at the two warriors. She gave the slightest nods to Shadefoot and Lightjay. The two AmberClan warriors dipped their heads at the silent order and fell in behind and to either side of Tanglepath and Silvertail.

Hawkwing couldn't help but feel proud. This was why she had chosen the two warriors to come with her. Though Lightjay had a quick temper, he was kind-hearted and brave underneath. Shadefoot had finally outgrown his prejudice against outsiders, and had become a noble and courageous warrior, stronger because of his compassion for all cats.

She pushed away her pride and dove into the bushes back into AmberClan territory. She then set a brisk pace as she led the way through the territory, over rivers and fallen logs. She could tell that Wishsong was unused to the tree cover, and Tanglepath to the fewer number of trees than in NorthClan territory. Both seemed to be having problems with the wetter ground.

Eventually, they came to the deep river that surrounded the AmberClan camp. Hawkwing waded in easily. Shadefoot and Lightjay started to follow, until they all realized that Wishsong and Tanglepath had stopped at the edge.

Hawkwing turned back, frowning. "Don't tell me you can't swim!"

Tanglepath shook his head. "It's not that."

Lightjay snickered. "They don't want to get their paws wet!"

Shadefoot shot him a sharp glance. "Quiet, Lightjay!"

Hawkwing nodded to her former apprentice in approval, and then turned back to the LightningClan and NorthClan warriors. "There is no other way into the camp. You'll have to swim."

Wishsong looked at the slow-moving water unsurely. "I'm not a very good swimmer…"

"We'll help you," Shadefoot promised. "It's really not that deep. Look, Hawkwing's out in the middle of it, and she's it's not even touching her belly fur."

Wishsong took a hesitant step in, and Tanglepath followed her. Finally, they all made it over to the other side. Hawkwing shook out her fur, giving her paws a quick lick, and then led the way into the camp.

She made her way over to Smallstar's den, made of mud and sticks, as quietly and as quickly as possible, trying not to attract attention. When they reached the entrance, she turned around.

Nodding to Lightjay and Shadefoot, she said, "You two have done a good job. Go get some rest. You'll need it."

"Yes, Hawkwing," they chorused, dipping their heads. Then they turned and hurried away.

She watched them go, and then looked over at Tanglepath and Wishsong. "Come on."

She stepped up to the entrance to her leader's den. "Smallstar?"

There was a moment of pause, and then a croaking voice responded, "…Is that you, Hawkwing?"

"It is," she answered. "I have Tanglepath of NorthClan and Wishsong of LightningClan with me. They have something to ask you."

Again that pause before Smallstar answered. "Send them in. You wait there, Hawkwing."

She sighed, and turned to the two warriors. "Listen," she said quietly. "Go in there, and once he's given you your answer, come right out. Don't dillydally in there."

Tanglepath nodded, and then he and Wishsong headed inside.

Hawkwing settled down outside the den and groomed her wet fur until it was dry. Not long after she finished, Tanglepath and Wishsong came out. The tabby tom looked confused, and the she-cat looked shaken.

Hawkwing jumped to her paws. "What did he say?"

"He said we could stay…" Tanglepath said slowly. "But—"

Hawkwing interrupted him. "I don't want to know what else happened. Whatever it was, keep it to yourselves, and speak of it to no one." She straightened up. "If you're going to stay, follow me, and we'll get you a couple of nests in the warriors' den."

She turned and started off, but anxiety and worry tugged at her belly. What had Smallstar said to them?

And more important, what had he done this time?

**END OF BOOK TWO

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**A/N: Mwuhaha, foreshadowing at the end of a book. ;D Well, that's the end of book two! I hope you've enjoyed Circle of Life: Book 2: Paths Not Tread. If you're interested in getting a preview of Book 3, check out my profile, where I'll have the name and the summary up in the "Coming Soon to a Computer Near You" section.**

**Don't forget to review! After all, it _is_ the epilogue, and it wouldn't hurt you to review. :D  
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**Off to take over the world,**

**Crazy Girl**


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